I’m just home from a lovely trip to China. It wasn’t for work or anything, just for fun. But when ever I go on a big holiday like this, I shortlist some items to test out. The kinds of items you can best test out on a holiday, like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Another key piece of kit for this holiday was FlyKitt, a pack you purchase to overcome jet lag on a holiday. Here’s what how I got on with it.
Disclosure: This product was gifted to the author. This means it was provided free of charge to be reviewed but the brand supplying it did not insist on a review, nor do they have any control over the content within this review.
What is FlyKitt?
I once read that there are no magic cures for time zones. Travelling long haul can, and likely will, take its toll on you. But I disagree with the sentiment that there is nothing you can do. As I’ve shown in the past, apps like Timeshifter help you manage your circadian rhythms and light exposure to regulate your energy as best you can. Even on flights, the crew will usually tailor lighting and food to best prepare you for your arrival timezone.
FlyKitt builds on the idea of an app and regulating your body clock by adding in a pack of supplements and blue light glasses.
The FlyKitt app takes in your flight details and then tells you when to take your supplements.
Advance prepares your body for the upcoming travel stress by boosting energy metabolism and balancing your circadian rhythm. Protect shields your body from the oxidative stress and inflammation caused by altitude changes and cabin pressure. I also wore compression socks as is regularly recommended for long haul flights.
Mellow was my favourite. You take this around your intended bedtime in your destination’s time zone. Mellow encourages restful sleep to help reset your internal clock and ease the transition across time zones. Included in the ingredients is melatonin to help you rest.
Finally, there’s Sustain which you typically take after your flight, to support ongoing recovery and daytime energy.
The pack also included some instant coffee and two sachets of “Circadian Reset”, which was just lots of sugar from what I could see at the bottom of my cup.
How Does FlyKitt Work?
The idea behind FlyKitt is to give you an app to manage your energy, and supplements to optimise your body’s reaction to the stress and unusual times of long haul travel. Before travel, the app told me the best time to go to sleep based on my flight details, and when to start taking supplements.
Dublin to Beijing, is a direct route with ten hours of fly time. Shortly after takeoff, the app told me to take some more supplements and to don my blue light glasses. These glasses are designed to filter out the specific wavelengths of blue light that can suppress melatonin production, the hormone responsible for sleep regulation.
By wearing them at strategic times (as guided by the Flykitt app), you can effectively “trick” your body into preparing for sleep earlier or staying alert longer, depending on your destination’s time zone. This light management helps shift your internal clock more smoothly, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up in line with your new schedule.
Wearing my FlyKitt blue light glasses on my flight to China – Photo by Marty Meany
Between the Mellow supplements and the blue light glasses, I slept for about 8 hours on the flight. Something I’ve never even nearly achieved while travelling before. I woke up once to use the bathroom, but felt the blue light glasses, which I fell asleep wearing, kept my mind in a state of sleep. So when I went back to my seat, I fell back asleep.
The Goosed Verdict: FlyKitt – Is It Worth It?
The big question for me after this trip remains whether or not I would buy a FlyKitt for myself considering that FlyKitt sent this over to me for testing.
It’s really not a cheap product. €90 will get you a FlyKitt Starter pack, which includes the blue light glasses and enough supplements for a round trip. After this, a FlyKitt refill will set you back about €60.
With Timeshifter, I said you need to understand that you’re paying to have the holiday of a lifetime run smoothly by doing everything you can to kill jet lag. This is a sizeable price jump. I will accept that I now use the blue light glasses before bed and am looking into getting some melatonin (which you can’t buy in Ireland). One additional point is that some of the capsule were quite big, if swallowing large tablets might be a problem for you.
I think the final assessment is that for €90, if you have a big long haul trip coming up, this isn’t a bad investment. Oddly is buying just the refills at €60 feels harder when a good sleep only needs melatonin and the glasses.
But I do have to admit that the sleep I had with FlyKitt, both on the flight and on night one in China was some of the best sleep I’ve ever had.
I didn’t think my review of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra would be taking this angle. I’ve found Samsung phone launches to be rather dull affairs for a few years. None of the features really impressed me while my iPhone continued to do everything I could need. But testing the Galaxy S25 Ultra and a trip to China have completely turned everything on it’s head.
I’ll wrap up those thoughts at the end of this review, but let’s get the usual stuff out of the way.
Design and Build Quality
What can I say about the design and build quality except this feels every cent of the price tag you’re paying for it. And it would want to. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a titanium frame with an ever so slightly rounded edge and matte finish on the rear.
It’s a big phone. That should go without saying, given it’s Samsung’s primary flagship. Yet, despite weighing 218g and having a 6.9-inch screen, it didn’t feel big or heavy. My daily driver is an iPhone 16 Pro, weighing in at 199g with a 6.3-inch display. I wasn’t left feeling the Samsung was too big. I was actually left wondering if I should return to a bigger phone.
In all of my testing in the past couple of years, I’ve been completely happy with the “smaller” iPhone or smaller Xiaomi 15. But from the viewing experience of the display to the extra typing space, I loved the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
I’m not including any images here because if you really want to get an idea of how the phone looks or feels, you should try make it into any phone shop. They will almost certainly have a phone on display so you can check it out properly.
The additional size also unlocks more space for hardware, like the camera. Which was an absolute treat on my trip to China.
Camera
Am I a fool for thinking the iPhone 16 Pro camera was everything I would ever need? Perhaps for regular day-to-day point and shoot style photography, the iPhone did everything I needed. And maybe an iPhone in the hands of a great photographer is going to be better than the Galaxy S25 Ultra in my hands. Actually, it almost certainly would be!
However, the Galaxy S25 Ultra left me trying harder. A fellow tech reviewer, John Reilly, said the Xiaomi 15 Ultra made him “want to be a better photographer”. His words were ringing in my ears has I whipped out the Galaxy S25 Ultra while holidaying in China.
Halfway through the trip, I installed Expert RAW mode and starting using the camera with much more intent. Chongqing is a foodie and photographer’s dream.
Note: This images are compressed as part of our website optimisation but retain most of the quality. These are not the RAW images.
The neon street signs of Chongqing, the cyberpunk city, China – Image: Marty Meany – Shot on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Galaxy S25 Ultra was just amazing at picking up wide varieties of colour and depth of detail. RAW mode meant a little more setting up in the shot (which needs a patient other half – thankfully I’m blessed there) and some time spent editing afterwards.
But what I found to be the real “ace up the sleeve” for Samsung was the different lenses. The S25 Ultra has a 200MP wide-angle lens, 50MP ultra-wide angle lens, 10MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom and 50MP periscope telephoto lens which also has a 5x optical zoom.
I used every single one of these lenses on my trip because I needed to. Sometimes the shot you want is far away, sometimes it’s really near. And the Galaxy S25 Ultra has something in the kit for every kind of photo.
A cable car crosses the river in Chongqing, China – Image: Marty Meany – Shot on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
I will admit, that we the renewed interest in mobile photography that the Samsung gave me, I did start to take better shots with my iPhone too, which also features RAW mode. But when a big photo opportunity appeared, it was the Galaxy 25 Ultra that I impulsively reached for.
A famous monorail trail passing through an apartment block at Liziba Station, Chongqing, China – Image: Marty Meany – Shot on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung’s AI Features Are a Mixed Bag
From the impressive photography hardware of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, it feels natural to segue to the phone’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) features. Like every other consumer tech company right now, Samsung is struggling to make AI relevant to everyday phone users.
Travelling in China, I knew there would be two great uses for AI on a smartphone; image editing and translation.
Image Editing
When you’re trying to get the perfect shot in China, particularly at a tourist hotspot, you’re going to get a lot of other people in the frame. You can either wait, or if you have a Samsung, trust AI can fix it afterwards.
Now, Samsung isn’t the first to do this. Google’s Magic Eraser has been beyond impressive for some time. But the generative AI fill on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is extremely impressive. Particularly when you get to use Samsung’s S-Pen and feel like a proper graphic designer (sorry, if you’re a graphic designer, and you just felt nauseous).
Take this shot I grabbed of a popular spot in Chongqing.
Original photo (left) with removals carried out by Samsung Generative AI (right), Chongqing, China – Image: Marty Meany – Shot on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
You can see the image is cropped a bit and the quality drops a little in the AI-edited version. But the removal of the girl and the belongings on the stairs is great. The quality drop makes sense in terms of saving money and resources for Samsung given the amount it takes to generate with AI.
But generally this is a useful tool for the average smartphone owner to have at their disposal.
Translation
I always highlight that I’m in a great position when it comes to translation assessment. Despite years of trying to learn German, I’m still awful at it. Years of looking through translation apps had left me utterly disappointed until the Honor Magic 7 Pro came along and blew my mind -specifically when it came to translation.
Naturally, I was excited to try out Samsung’s AI-translation features. I also had the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which should have added to my experience. Unfortunately, that conversational feature was oversold and really slow.
The Samsung Interpreter app (translator app) when used in a one-to-one environment where it’s quiet, and both parties are very clear on how the translation service works, it’s ok at best. But the flow of conversation is pretty slow. The translation accuracy varied dramatically and I believe this is down to one thing. I’ve learned that when speaking to a smart translation app, I speak differently to help the app understand context and meaning better. This seems to be when Samsung’s on-board translation worked well.
In more impromptu scenarios, the phone struggled. For me, this is a big fail given AI-should make this unnecessary. Translation should be AI’s biggest strength, but Samsung just hasn’t handled it that well. There were a few occasions where a taxi driver might swing around and say something, but I wasn’t ready for them.
The idea of the Interpreter App is that you leave it running and it translates everything. But when used in this mode, nearly everything was just a jumbled mess of nonsense. It works much better when you trigger translations back and forth, but this defeats the purpose.
My search for the perfect smart translation solution, continues.
Other Hardware and Performance
All of that on-board and even cloud-based AI power needs lots of hardware. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is powered by the ever-impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, custom-built specifically for Samsung.
This makes the phone one of the best on the market for gaming and productivity – so take your pick!
If you are on the bleeding edge of connectivity, you can also enjoy Wi-Fi 7 (hello Eir customers), but realistically, most customers will be happy with the 5G and Wi-Fi connectivity in general.
The 5000 mAh battery delivered a battery life that was plenty for me in China. Before anyone asks, I did have an eSIM in the phone so it was operating fully as a regular smartphone would be with the usual background services running and social media apps installed and logged in. I was getting nearly two days out of the phone, but I wasn’t using it for navigation and payments, as that was all on my iPhone.
When it did come time to charge, it was really fast. I use a powerful adaptive 140w Belkin charger which was able to provide the maximum 45W wired charging and was easily able to take the phone from nearly dead to a light day’s worth of charge in just 30 minutes. Great when you’re popping back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner and realise you’re on 20% battery.
The phone does support wireless charging too. You’ll get 15W wireless charging and even be able to charge another device with 4.5W charging. But I’d keep this for emergencies, given it’s extremely slow and hardly worth giving up the power of your Samsung unless really necessary.
Samsung’s One UI 7
I want to add a note on Samsung’s version of Android, One UI 7. Largely, I’ve been very impressed with it. Some manufacturers wrap Android in a style that I can only describe as a “little childish”. Samsung’s remains nice and easy to navigate while also remaining highly customisable to your needs.
Again, AI here is a bit of a mixed bag. I never enjoyed the Now Briefing features. But recent updates have brought a live features similar to the iPhone’s Dynamic Island to Samsung.
Google’s Gemini AI is the default assistant, which is fantastic news given how utterly useless Bixby has been since forever. You can now hold the side button, launch Gemini AI and even ask about what’s on your screen. It’s a nice feature that I could imagine I’d get a lot of use out of long term (even though I’m a ChatGPT man really).
The Goosed Verdict: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review
As I hinted at from the outset, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra left me considering a change. Two phones have done this already this year; this phone and the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. Both phones are bigger, which I’m unsure about, but both phones are also massively photography based.
After a few days at home, I’m not taking as many photos and that desire to change has fizzled out a little. Not because I don’t think I’d love the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but because it’s an expensive switch and I have the entire Apple ecosystem in my life.
But this is the first time in years when I’ve been left feeling like my iPhone doesn’t do everything I want. I know there’s something missing now and I would be completely happy a weird thief came along and swapped my iPhone 16 Pro for a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
That might all sound like a very weird way to recommend a phone, but for me that’s a massive recommendation. If you want a great camera alongside an enjoyable phone to use and don’t mind slightly bigger form factors; the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the best well-rounded and low risk phone on the market for you. That is assuming you don’t have a tight budget.
Today it has been announced that American ride-sharing company Lyft has acquired FreeNow. As is always the case with these big tech acquisitions, the press releases declare this “exciting news” as great for consumers, promising even better rides and experience for people needing to get from A to B.
However, the reality is much bleaker for anyone trying to grab a taxi in Ireland. I live in Dublin. A capital city that has reasonably good bus and tram connections in most situations. But once outside a “good route”, you rely on taxis, and relying on taxis in Dublin is grim.
Supply, Demand and “Cash is King”
On the odd occasion I’ve needed a taxi in Dublin, I’ve dreaded it. I have a plethora of taxi apps, ranging from FreeNow (formerly Hailo, MyTaxi and something else I’m sure), Bolt, Hola, and Lynk (the app created by drivers for drivers). At any given time or during a sudden downpour, you could be staring at your app for up to 20 minutes waiting for a driver.
When that driver arrives, I’ve often been greeted with questionable banter at best and utter anger that I’m using apps at all at worst.
I haven’t hailed a taxi on the street in a long time, but have seen plenty of “cash is king” stickers in taxis and drivers try to dodge card fees and possibly more. Reddit is full to the brim of tales from nights out where drivers’ card machines are broken, despite the operation of a taxi legally requiring a payment terminal in the car. The workaround seemingly being to tell your driver you have cash before realising at your destination you don’t and suddenly, the card machine jumps back into life, or you’re paying directly over Revolut.
This is the taxi experience that the people of Ireland have been led to believe is acceptable. I’m sure many will say it’s the few that ruin it for the many, but the few are far more plentiful and cheeky than they should be.
Ride Sharing Versus the Taxi Lobby
Ireland has Uber and, now thanks to this acquisition news, Lyft, in the market. However, both of these companies are very different in Ireland when compared with other countries. In the United States, Uber and Lyft are ride-sharing companies. Simply put, anyone can sign up to these apps as a driver, and offer lifts to people in need. It’s part of the gig economy, which in itself is problematic, yet it remains highly popular both for passengers and drivers needed extra income.
Uber and Lyft will continue to operate in Ireland, but only as a means to access taxi drivers. But should we still stand in the way of disruption here?
It’s a debate with good points on both sides. Some point to accusations that Uber’s model effectively being to undermine the taxi industry, and drive up ride-share prices when the taxi drivers quit. Or surge pricing making Uber more expensive than any taxi option during busy periods. Yet “technology fees” by companies like FreeNow have come under massive criticism from passengers as another attempt to “price gouge”.
My Didi Taxi Experience in China
I’m just back after a trip to China which covered Beijing and Chongqing, two of the world’s largest mega-cities. Beijing is sprawling, depending heavily on metro and bus connections. Chongqing is similar, with additional challenges given the height changes in the mountainous city requiring additional rail and cable car options. Both cities additionally have Didi, an app I used quite a lot on my visit.
Didi gives you access to all forms of taxi transport, from actual taxis to people taking part in ride-sharing within the gig economy. I tried and tested a wide range of these, from taxis, “luxe” six seaters, regular ride-shares and the infamous “yellow Ferraris” of Chongqing.
My experience was incredible. From Beijing airport to my hotel was about 50 minutes, costing my little over €14. The return trip, with a little more experience and during lighter traffic was 30 minutes it a more premium 6-seater costing just about €20.
Shorter hops throughout the trip ranging from 10 to 20 minutes could cost as little as €3 to €8.
Now, I know that this is one of the biggest examples of comparing apples and oranges, but it opened my eyes to a capital city working through transport issues by allowing all means necessary.
Didi still polices their driver pool, polling for poor behaviour and remaining open for feedback from your trip, ready to take action when needed. True competition in the market is good for consumers when implemented correctly.
I will concede that not all of Ireland needs this solution. Shortly after returning from China, I was in Westport where only a handful of taxi operators are working, basically ferrying people from the locality and hotels to a handful of pubs and appointments. The hotel I was in sorted connections, even loading in people together out of convenience. It wasn’t expensive and it worked well even during busy hours. However, this was the only option as no apps like FreeNow even worked in the area.
However, for those in the bigger cities, for the foreseeable future, passengers are set to remain in the back seat of an expensive taxi, feeling guilty about paying with a card tap and that’s if they were lucky enough to get a taxi at all.
Mobile data services from Eir are currently down. This means mobile internet access for Eir voice and mobile broadband services, along with Gomo mobile internet access are currently down. You may not notice this while at home as you are connected to Wi-Fi, only to find if you head out you have no internet access.
Website Down Detector shows a significant rise in network issues being reported since 1:30pm today for both Eir and Gomo, with mobile internet specifically being reported. It appears to be impacting customers on both prepay and bill pay.
To conflate issues, users on Twitter are also saying that Eir’s customer care number, 1901, is also not working.
Eir is responding to customers with a copy and paste repsonse , asking customers to “please send [them ]a DM with your details and [they] will help you out”. But no further information is currently available.
In a comment to Goosed.ie, Eir stated they “experienced a brief, intermittent outage this afternoon that affected some fixed line and mobile customers. The issue has since been fully resolved and services are operating normally”.
Comedian, musician and social media star Garron Noone has reactivated his social media accounts after a brief hiatus. Noone had deactivated his account following a backlash that surrounded two posts he created in which he discussed various topics including Conor McGregor and immigration. What followed was a national debate on Noone’s comments which led to outpourings of support for the creator and massive critism too.
In his latest post tonight, Noone said, “this is the last time I’m going to discuss this particular topic” before he gets back to what he wants to do, which is “having the craic”. In a comment on the post, he added “I stand by what I said in my first video, this video will clarify any points I seen that were taken up differently to how I meant them, and this will be my last word on it”.
In the 9-minute video, which has been posted on TikTok which you can watch below, Noone confirmed he had taken down his own accounts to avoid reacting with emotion and that he decided to remove himself for a little while and clear his head.
He thanked the people who supported him, but also those who criticised him saying that it’s important debate takes place to ensure nefarious actors can’t hijack vacuums of silence.
The creator also said he took accountability for how he worded some of his points and said they were too vague, and open to interpretation.
You should watch the full video below rather than my notes on it. But I am personally glad to see him back and that he’s doing well because that was some horrific pressure to be under. I hope that we soon see him shouting at cups of tea again. I also hope as a nation we’ve learned something from this experience. Whether it be the importance of wording, context, discussion or something else.
Yesterday, popular social media creator, comedian and musician Garron Noone deactivated his social media accounts. The deactivation of his accounts, seemingly his own choice after backlash to videos he posted earlier in the day.
I’m not going into the content of what Garron said. I watched them and moved on after consuming someone’s opinion. That’s personally how I feel the world should work. But what Garron has experienced since, amid accusations of dog-whistling to the far-right, can’t be described as less than an internet dog pile.
A couple of years ago, I did some mental health training. I got to learn some incredibly valuable skills. It’s impossible for me to look at this situation like some sort of veteran superstar dealing with the tax of fame. Instead, I see someone who is a very normal “guy next door” type being pulled apart, disproportionate to what he said.
Regardless of whether you agreed with what he said or didn’t say, the goal should be discourse – not dog piling and a rush to “cancel” someone.
My immediate reaction to the backlash was to want to support Garron Noone the person. Not because I agree with him, but because I can have empathy for a fellow human being. I’ve never met him, but he seems a generally nice guy. While I can see understand some might take issue with what he said and how it was said, there wasn’t anything that couldn’t be addressed by conversation and openness to education knowledge sharing. But instead, everything got dialled up to 100% and now we’re left here with no discourse at all on the topic.
All I could think about last night was the pressure Garron must have felt. Pressure that built to the point where he pulled down his social accounts. These social accounts have been built up over a year or two and are Noone’s path to a living. Yet, he thought it’s best to deactivate them.
Today, every second video on TikTok is an account weighing in on the subject. Everyone has an opinion.
As a result, some of Garron’s fellow creators have emerged with public support for him.
Miriam Mullins posted late last night saying “he’s not racist. That’s ridiculous”.
Eric Roberts, who has also experienced a large rise to social media fame in recent years, said “the internet can be a scary place, but this man [Noone] has always made it a brighter, funnier, happier place”.
Entrepeneur and motoring creator, Nadia Adan, also supported Noone. The two have featured in a few skits together, stating she was “horrified” by the treatment Noone received and that he is “he is the most kindest soul, the most gentle person”.
Now. You’ve read this much and I already know there are some who will call for my head just because I haven’t denounced something or agreed with something. And that’s grand.
But all I’m asking is that you consider the people behind the content and the impact that such a dog pile brings.
Another creator, Daragh Fleming, weighed in focusing on similar. Let’s just remember we’re all human.
Whatever about whether you agree or disagree with Garron Noone or anyone else. All of this is definitely impacting his mental health. His accounts are all deactivated. I can only imagine how intense this all is and I hope someone close to him is checking in
Yesterday, Amazon launched its dedicated website for Ireland, Amazon.ie. The company said the launch would give customers in Ireland access to “over 200 million products with low prices in Euro, and fast, convenient delivery and returns”. However, there’s been a very mixed response to the launch
One-Day Delivery
One positive element I’ll kick off with is the quick deliveries. I ordered some things I had my eye on for some time yesterday. My first orders from Amazon.ie. The order was placed around 6pm on Tuesday and was delivered at 2pm Wednesday. That’s pretty cool I have to say.
The great thing about getting this order in early was that, even though I’m happy with my products and going to keep them, I could see what the return process would look like.
The Returns Process
One element that was an absolute “must improve” for me with Amazon.ie launching in Ireland was returns. I largely decide who I shop online based on how easily they will let me return products.
I was initially shocked to see what seemed to be a worse return process. But this was because I had first selected “No Reason for Return” which meant I would have to pay €3.99 and print a label to return the product at my local An Post location.
However, I then selected a reason such as “Item is defective or does not work” I can either choose a refund or replacement. In either case, a defective item will get a free return through An Post.
It’s still annoying that I have to print my own label, in a world where label-free returns are incredibly possible to do. Just look at the likes of ASOS and countless other clothes brands.
Pricing
Amazon.ie’s pricing is very much a mixed bag right now. I spent yesterday comparing various products and I have to say that largely, Amazon.ie doesn’t hold up well against Amazon.co.uk or European Amazon stores such as Amazon.de.
I could find examples of every scenario. Whether that be Ireland being cheaper or more expensive than other stores, with plenty just being the same too.
However, the mixed pricing has done little to instil confidence amongst Irish shoppers looking to switch over to Amazon.ie from Amazon.co.uk, leaving everyone sure of only one thing. You have to shop around to ensure you’re getting the best price.
Product Selection
Alongside the returns process, the most disappointing element of Amazon’s Irish launch is the still limited product selection. I can only assume this is going to improve over time.
The first thing I checked was Anker Powerbanks, knowing this was always going to be the first product many were interested in; a fact confirmed in my TikTok comments.
While some Anker powerbanks are available, an improvement from my own recent research, none are available on next day delivery. In fact, they have rather long lead times. This suggests that they are still shipping from other distribution centres.
Hopefully this is addressed in the near future for ranges far beyond just power banks. I’ve had hundreds of comments on my TikToks surrounding the launch, many of which address the limited product range and higher pricing on Amazon.ie.
Supporting Amazon
Another key trend to emerge in my comments was people just not wanting to support Amazon or Jeff Bezos. It’s a conflict of convenience and supporting a company with ties to Donald Trump and poor treatment of workers.
There’s also the question of just what impact this launch will have on Irish businesses who either choose to compete or comply with Amazon practice.
Lost Features on Amazon Prime Ireland
Finally, some features have not carried over to Amazon Prime Membership in Ireland. While Amazon celebrates Prime being cheaper in Ireland, it is for a reason. While the migration to Amazon.ie meant lost of order histories and both lists and wishlists, features were also lost. Family sharing and Prime Reading don’t feature in Prime Ireland.
Many have asked what impact there is on Prime Video. From what I can see, there’s no change. I was already on an EU-level account, but time will tell if that changes or not.
Overall, Amazon.ie feels like a mediocre port of various international Amazon websites instead of a truly dedicate Ireland website. However, I’m sure that will evolve over time as Amazon carves out an identity and footprint in Ireland. Just how much people want that, remains debatable, but The Journal’s poll which shows 70% of Irish shoppers would use Amazon suggests it’s unavoidable.
Today, Google launches the Pixel 9a. The “a” series is Google’s answer to offer reasonably good specs to the mid-range smartphone market. Here are the key points to know about on this new Pixel smartphone.
Guaranteed Software Updates
Let’s face it. Smartphone hardware launches have become an increasingly dull affair. More and more the focus is on device software features. For this reason, it’s great to see Google committing to 7 Years of OS and security updates.
But don’t forget that this doesn’t mean your phone won’t lack features in the future. It’s possible, if not likely, that some new AI-feature will emerge in that 7 years that requires a particular processor, meaning you will need to upgrade to enjoy full functionality.
But, Google does indicate that “Pixel Drops” will keep your phone fresh as new software is made available.
The guarantee means the phone will be completely usable and secure for as long as you likely have it, and to be honest, far longer.
Camera
The Google Pixel range has always found a beautiful balance between hardware and software, particularly in the camera. The Pixel 9a will hopefully strike that balance again with a 48 MP main camera and 13 MP ultrawide camera.
This is the first Google Pixel “A-series” phone that features macro focus photography options.
But Pixel phones are also a bit of a photography playground. I’m interested to see how the “Add Me” function works. With this you can take a group photo, swap photographers and take another. The Pixel 9a will then merge the two photos, ensuring no one is left out.
The Pixel 9a will also feature a wide range of Google’s AI image editing suite.
Google Gemini as Standard
Unsurprisingly, the Pixel 9a is also home to Google Gemini. Gemini is like having a smart, always-on assistant in your pocket. Just press and hold the power button to start writing, planning, or learning, whatever you need at that moment.
Gemini can pull up details from your Gmail, suggest places in Maps, or help with whatever’s on your screen. Want a more natural way to chat? With Gemini Live, you can just talk, no need to stick to one topic or even finish your sentence before switching gears.
I’m really interested to see how Google has integrated Gemini into a phone’s flow. No one has really nailed this yet in my eyes.
More Premium Design
The Pixel 9a should feel a lot more premium than your average mid-range smartphone. This will be in no small part down to the phone’s metal frame and scratch-resistant display. The Pixel 9a is also IP68 rated, so it can handle water and dust.
Google also promises that the device will last beyond a day with over 30-hours battery packed in.
The Google Pixel 9a will be available from the Google Retail store, with Irish retailers TBC from early April. We hope to have a full review completed in the near future.
Dublin City University (DCU) was buzzing with excitement as 70 Irish Girl Guides showcased their skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the FIRST LEGO League Challenge Regional. The day saw fourteen teams from across Ireland compete, demonstrating their innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities through cutting-edge projects and robot design.
Octonaughts Take the Top Prize
Among the competitors were The Octonaughts, a four-Girl Guide team from Lucan Unit. They emerged victorious as this year’s Regional Champions. Their winning project focused on Sonar Technology and its impact on sperm whales.
The team explored the frequencies used in sonar technology and their effects on marine life. Their innovative solution proposed a sonar system that integrates whale echolocation clicks into sonar technology, minimizing harm to these magnificent creatures.
Their exceptional research, connection to FIRST LEGO League Core Values, and impressive robotic control skills secured them a well-deserved place in the Ireland Final, which will take place on Saturday, April 12th. There, they will compete against other top teams from across the country.
“This event is a testament to the incredible talent, passion, and commitment of our Girl Guides,” said Katie Keogh, Irish Girl Guides LEGO Representative and Mosney Unit Brownies and Guides Leader. “Each team has worked incredibly hard, and we are beyond proud of their achievements”.
It wasn’t the only win on the day as various other Guides gathered awards on the day:
Robot Game Award – Squashed Squids (Macalla Guides)
Robot Design Award – Winnie Fish (St. Brendan’s Guides)
Innovation Project Award – Coral Creators (North Longford Senior Branch)
Core Values Award – Awesome Octonauts (Dilse Senior Branch)
Rising All-Star Award – The Gills (St. Brendan’s Guides)
Breakthrough Award – Merlin Dolphins (St. Nicholas & Merlin Wood Guides)
Motivate Award – Deep Blue Divas (Mosney Guides)
Irish Girl Guides has 10,000 members across Ireland. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer Leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens.
Not too long ago, I bought you the news that Google had made the original PebbleOS open source and that the founder of Pebble was planning to release a new watch. Well, that day is here.
Today, two new PebbleOS watches went live for pre-order; the Core Devices Core 2 Duo (€135) and Core Time 2 (€205).
The two devices will only be available online via pre-order and will not be in stores anywhere, but they are shipping globally thankfully.
Core 2 Duo
The Core 2 Duo is the entry-level PebbleOS wearable from Core Devices. It’s the embodiment of what Pebble was back in the day. It features a simple black and white display and polycarbonate frame.
This will be the choice for people seeking the truest form of the original Pebble Watch. This watch is also available a little earlier, shipping from July.
Core Time 2
A little more expensive but feature rich is the Core Time 2. This has a larger 64-colour display and metal frame. You will have to wait a little longer for this watch as it won’t ship until December.
Why Are These Devices Exciting?
When Pebble originally launched, it was a unique view on wearables. Instead of focusing on high definition and features galore, Pebble focused on simplicity and battery life. These new PebbleOS devices offer up to 30 days battery life, improved Bluetooth, water resistance and both step and sleep tracking.
I will say out the gates, this isn’t the wearable for everyone – but there are people who want more than a regular wristwatch but not all the bells and whistles of an Apple Watch. And for those people, Pebble OS watches from Core Devices are a very interesting option.
