Another year, another iPhone launch. Apple is set to announce three new phones into the market at its annual handset keynote at Cupertino. Codenamed N104, D43 and D43, there have been a few leaks to date already. I even spotted a case company at IFA Berlin this year showing off their new iPhone 11 range of cases, along with showing off the mock-up version of the phone they use to cast cases with. You can find my tweet about that case in our 2019 Apple Event Live Blog below.
Huawei Officially Announces the Kirin 990 and More at IFA 2019
Huawei was busy at IFA Berlin this year. Straight up, the Huawei FreeBuds was the most interesting consumer announcement from Huawei at IFA 2019. However, the long term win for consumers is going to be what chip improvements let them do with their phones. Huawei also announced the Kirin 990 chip which will feature in the Mate 30 series launching in Munich later this month on 19 September.
Meet the Huawei Kirin 990
The chip itself was hardly a massive surprise given that a gigantic banner has been sitting in the foyer of the Messe Berlin conference centre showing the Kirin 990 itself.
Expected today is new P30 Pro colours and the Kirin 990 chip. Both on a banner at IFA the past few days at #IFA19 so expect some surprises too. Watch GT 2 probably waiting till Munich along with the #Mate30 Series. pic.twitter.com/0IZLoWhOvI
— Marty Meany [IFA 2019] (@martinmeany) September 6, 2019
Even as a tech reviewer, sometimes chip launches are a little underwhelming. The Kirin 990, however, would appear to be delivering some exceptional power into your hands.
There’s lots of functionality that this chip delivers that I won’t bore you with, but if you’re in to shooting video, the Huawei Mate 30 powered by the Kirin 990 would appear to be pulling out all the stops. In fact, movie making has become a bit of a trend in the mobile phone world. We’ve teamed up with the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival for the past few years and have been blown away by the quality on an annual basis. Sony is also focusing on this space with their Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 which boast the incredible Cinema Pro app, simulating qualities normally found in cameras used in Hollywood.
In the demo delivered at IFA 2019, Huawei showed off the Kirin 990’s processing power by taking a single video clip and showing how it could be editing using only the phone. Green screening is a technique you likely know best from watching the weather. When Martin King is delivering the birthday wishes to Bridey down in Cork, he’s actually standing in front of a green screen, with the maps and charts added in later.
Powered by the Kirin 990 chip, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro will be able to pick up the subjects of a video, remove the background and then help you change backgrounds. You’ll be able to remove people from videos and even move people around while applying the Bokeh effect to the background.
The Kirin 990 delivers a plethora of over benefits to phone users. With great power comes great artificial intelligence which not only delivers cool video processing but helps manage your battery usage more efficiently too. It’s also the most efficient 5G chip on the market
Huawei WiFi Q2 Pro: Huawei’s Powerline System
Strangely enough, I predicted that mesh systems would be one of the big things to keep an eye out for at IFA 2019. Sure enough, as I walked the halls of Europe’s biggest trade technology show, there were plenty of mesh solutions to hand. In case your not familiar with WiFi mesh systems, they are probably the one gadget nearly every Irish home needs but doesn’t know about.
Mesh systems allow you to connect several boxes to your home WiFi and extend the signal. If you have a room which is too far from your router, you can connect as many mesh boxes as needed to improve signal and eliminate WiFi blackspots in your home.
Now, I’ve gone off on a bit of a tanget there because Huawei didn’t exactly launch a mesh system today. Huawei launched the WiFi Q2 Pro which is, in fact, a powerline system. The difference with these systems is subtle but important. Mesh is usually achieved via WiFi connections, but powerline systems use the cables in your home to pass broadband from one area to another. You plug one powerline into the wall beside your modem, and another elsewhere in the house and Bob’s your uncle. Internet will magically appear in that area, using the same WiFi name and credentials. At least if you’re using Huawei’s latest tech.
This is key, because the system allows for seaming transitioning between powerline boxes. You won’t notice any differece yourself, except for the fact you’ve got WiFi in that old black spot of yours.
I’m not going to dwell on this for too long, because like the AI cube launched at IFA last year, as cool as this is, we may not get to see this in Ireland.
Two New Colours for the P30 Pro
Speaking of things were unlikely to see in Ireland. Huawei also announced two new colours for the impressive P30 Pro. The designs are gorgeous and they even let the Huawei CEO take a great pop at Samsung for their Galaxy Note 10 designs following that of the P30 Pro. It’s unlikely these colours will hit the Irish market, but if you’re really interested, you should be able to pick up a SIM-free version of the P30 Pro on Amazon.co.uk in the colour of your choice when available.
Finally, as part of the P30 Pro refresh, Huawei also showed off the latest features of EMUI 10 which comes to the P30 Series later this month. It’s still up in the air as to whether or not Android 10 will be available on the Mate 30 Series next month and indeed whether or not we’ll get Google apps. While my gut says this will all blow over by then, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens in Munich later this month.
Lidl Is Trending After Taking A Stance Against Racist Abuse
I’m going to try and write this article without referencing one of the involved individuals because, quite simply, she’s not worth the pixels. You may have noticed that Lidl is trending on Twitter today. When Lidl starts trending, memories of a snowy March last year come flooding back, but the supermarket chain is trending on social media for a much better reason today.
Why is Lidl Trending?
A former journalist who recently ran a failed campaign for European. There’s very little good to say about this woman. She’s leading regular protests outside locations in Dublin like Google and Twitter and her followers have been seen giving Nazi salutes. What am I talking about? There’s nothing good to say about her expect, perhaps, that she’s garnering nothing more than a minority of followers.
This weekend, she took on the Irish leg of the German supermarket chain Lidl. Lidl had recently added a new family to their “The Big Save” campaign.
To any normal human being, the Ryan family are like every other Irish family. The only exception is that they happened to star in the latest Lidl ad which shows the savings they enjoyed.
Unlike all of us normal people, the former journalist took exception to the Ryan family being depicted by their daughter, her black partner and mixed-race son. Here’s what she tweeted out – note I’ve cropped her Twitter account because I really don’t want to spread her around the place at all.
While the family depicted here, of course, could be named Ryan, the surname refers to the woman’s parents. It’s actually their shop that’s been analysed as part of the campaign.
Thankfully, the vast majority of the Irish public see right through this stuff. Many have reported her on a regular basis. During the summer, Twitter acknowledged these ban attempts and temporarily suspended her account.
However, Lidl Ireland has taken a stance and directly taken action to ensure her account can do no more damage.
Lidl Takes Stance Against Racism
Following the tweet from the journalist, Lidl posted a tweet on their own account stating they have blocked her account and reported her to Twitter. The supermarket’s Twitter account continued to state, “we are proud of our multicultural & diverse team and our customers. We are proud to work with, and serve, each and every one of them. Everyone is welcome in our store”.
Additionally, Lidl also confirmed they were in touch with the family involved and are providing support. They also thanked the public for their support, which has been visible on Twitter this evening.
Well done @lidl_ireland – for that alone, I'll be shopping with you next week
— N16Breda YesWeRepealedThe8th (@N16Breda) September 8, 2019
Well done Lidl for taking a stand and best wishes to the Ryan family.
— James Brown 📷 (@thephotojim) September 8, 2019
Thank you Lidl for having the intelligence and empathy to see the effect people like her have on a great many people. In my mind everyone has always been welcome here and these few inward looking cowards represent no one but their own fear. Twitter should close them down. ????????
— a cloud on a string (@acloudonastring) September 8, 2019
Why Are We Writing About This?
The main reason I’m writing about this is that I’m sick and tired of small-time accounts on Twitter and Facebook being given the same respect as publishers. This woman is extremely harmful to the public. She regularly shares messages of hate which do have direct consequences in the real world, while she’s tucked up safe and sound at home.
Not enough companies call out this kind of shit. So good on you Lidl for actually taking a stance against her and cutting her off.
How we consume news and information has changed dramatically in recent years. Trolling online has evolved into dangerous hate messages and I thoroughly believe this has become to biggest danger to the future of our society. I recently suggested that all social media profiles should require validation from a government ID or something similar.
One change I would love to see on Twitter. Personal accounts must use a photo of a person. Better still, the photo should be verified and matched using facial recognition and a government ID. Faceless trolls hiding behind generic images are the reason Twitter can be a cesspit.
— Marty Meany [IFA 2019] (@martinmeany) August 31, 2019
Tech has started to ramp up innovations in recent years, which is really exciting. But, our laws need to keep up and our governments need to start policing social media more closely instead of waiting for private businesses picking up the slack.
Coinnovation: The Big Trend of IFA 2019
I remember the first tech conference I attended as media after starting Goosed.ie. It was Web Summit in Dublin. As much as I was blown away by the consumer tech on show in the RDS, it was the trends that blew me away. Terms like the Internet of Things hadn’t become so buzzworthy yet and everything was about democratisation to the consumer. It changed how I thought about tech and this week, I viewed IFA Berlin through this very same lens of trends to keep an eye out for.
Coinnovation
I’m not going to lie. When I saw this being spouted early on during the IFA press days, I didn’t buy it. Not one bit. However, after walking the floors and talking to the companies in attendance, coinnovation is the one thing that is arguably driving more consumer tech advancement than anything else out there.
Coinnovation is the crossing of companies and industries, integrating their efforts to develop new ways of doing things. Better ways of doing things. It sounds a bit obvious, I know, but how real this is kind of caught me off guard.
Chipolo and Tile: Competitive Friends
One of the first times I spotted this was when speaking to Chipolo. These guys have created a tiny gadget which connects to your phone and helps you find lost keys or maybe even your wallet. A pretty neat idea right? Of course, there’s another big player in this space going by the name of Tile. In fact, Tile is massive and has big money backers in the States. Yet, rather stunningly, when I mentioned Tile the response I got was from the Chipolo guy was “I really like Tile”.
He knew by the look on my face that this was odd to me, so he explained. Tile and they don’t really compete. They have different designs and different target markets. As if I wasn’t already shocked enough, he then told me there’s an open dialogue between the two companies. Isn’t that great to hear in this day and age? Innovation is being driven by two companies who, for all intents and purposes, are competitors.
Typically I’d consider this to be a blip, but after talking to hundreds of exhibitors at IFA, I can confirm it’s far from being a blip.
FitBit and KBC
The bartender and the thief are lovers. It was an unusual lyric of two unlikely lovers coming together. Fitness trackers and health insurers would make some kind of sense and there are many companies coinnovating in this space. But the bartender and the thief in this story are FitBit and KBC.
Regular readers will know, I adore KBC. Sure, I owe them a small fortune and will likely now never be our of their debt again, but they’re a digital innovator in Irish banking. So much so I refer to them as Ireland’s most digital bank. While that bar has been set incredibly low by competing banks like Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB, KBC has driven digital banking out of the dark ages in Ireland.
So, what do a fitness tracking company and a bank have in common? Well, KBC were one of the first banks globally to adopt Fitbit pay. It’s a simple enough idea, not too far from the likes of Apple Pay or Google Pay. If you’re popping out to the gym, you might grab your towel and keys. You get to the gym and realise you’ve left your water and wallet at home. You can tap your FitBit wearable to just like you would your bank card and stay nice and hydrated through that spin class.
All of this comes as a result of coinnovation. Coinivation between the fitness industry and the financial industry. The result is a solution which brings massive convenience to consumers.
I feel bad. AIB deserves an honourable mention here as they’ve pretty much kept up with KBC’s innovation including their recent adoption of FitBit pay too.
LIFX and Smart Assistants
This is perhaps the best example of coinnovation in practice. I love smart assistants, but alone, they are little more than speakers. I really like the idea of smart bulbs, but in practice, a light switch is easier than an app-controlled lighting system.
However, through the magic of coinnivation, both of these industries are driving business, development and consumer adoption. This became apparent to me when speaking with Martin Carroll from LIFX at IFA.
He spoke to me about how LIFX has grown massively in recent years, a large proportion of that being down to voice assistant integrations. He also told me that both Amazon and Google have seen that nothing makes more sense to consumers than turning off a light with your voice. It has become one of the perfect use cases which drives the sales of voice assistants.
According to GfK, in 2018 smart speaker sales in the UK had increased by 53% on the previous year which also saw 153% increase the year before that. In 2019, sales look to be plateauing, which makes sense. Nearly everyone has a smart speaker now. But as innovation continues, so to will the need for additional speakers in new places. Think bathroom.
Why Care About Coinnovation?
So what does this mean for the years ahead? Well, in short, you’re going to see some interesting brands teaming up. I like to remember how good Eminem and Dido were when they teamed up. Initially, these pairing will seem a little unusual, but the reality is unusual pairings can bring about some of the best innvations on the market. Going forward, You’re going to see more brands you love coming together and getting creative.
Good things are on the horizon for when companies work together for the betterment of consumer experiences. Here’s to coinnovation!
FreeBuds 3: Huawei Launches AirPod Killers At IFA Berlin
I’m not entirely sure what I expected as I sat down in Messe Berlin to hear Huawei CEO, Richard Yu, announce the latest innovations from the Chinese manufacturer. An IFA representative described it as the most anticipated IFA keynote of all time, yet there was no mention of the difficulties the company has faced in recent months. In fact, the only mention of the situation with the States came before the Huawei CEO hit the stage.
It’s quite possible that Huawei just wants to get back to business as usual and that’s what this Berlin keynote really was. Innovation announcements and product launches were the order of the day.
Huawei FreeBuds 3 Powered by the Kirin A1 Chip
There’s been no shortage of companies throwing their hats at wireless audio technology in recent years. Since the iPhone 7 killed off the 3.5mm headphone jack, we’ve been working our way towards a wireless audio future. For fme, the timing is right. We need to kill the 3.5mm jack on phones in order to drive innovation. The result is that now, three years after the iPhone dropped the headphone jack, wireless earphone are in a really strong position.
As you might expect, Apple has been one of the lead innovators with their AirPods. Another personal favourite of mine is the Soundcore Liberty Air buds. Huawei has launched a few of their own over the years, but at IFA Berlin, they announced their strongest set of buds to date. The FreeBuds 3.
Presenting the buds for the first time, the Huawei CEO made some pretty bold claims about how good the FreeBuds 3 would be. While he did give Apple their dues for creating the AirPods, complimenting the technology within, he quickly followed the compliments with an assertion that the FreeBuds 3 was superior. He also called out the rushed tech within the Samsung Galaxy Buds launched as a free gift with the S10 and S10+ earlier this year.
There were three. particularly exciting features on the Huawei FreeBuds 3 which could very well make these the best truly wireless earbuds on the market.
Kirin A1 Chip
In a day of chip launches by Huawei, we were introduced to the Kirin A1 chip which powers the FreeBuds 3 and dared the steal the show. Up until now, for many reasons, wireless earbuds have been imperfect. How our smartphones connect to buds is the main issue. Typically, one bud connects to your phone and all audio is passed through this single ‘master’ bud before being transferred to the second ‘slave’ bud.
The new Kirin A1 Chip allows Huawei to cram the latest technology into their new FreeBuds 3 to, hopefully, produce a sublime audio experience. Amongst these benefits is True Wireless Stereo (TWS) delivered in a way which allows both buds to connect to your phone individually, producing better sound quality and better battery life.
Huawei promises that the FreeBuds 3 will give four consecutive hours of use and 20 hours when combined with the charge case – a charge case which will now support wireless charging and reverse wireless charging from your smartphone.
Active Noise Cancelling
Another interesting feature Huawei called out at IFA was that the FreeBuds 3 would have active noise cancelling. This would make them the first open-fit earbuds with this technology built-in. Unfortunately, when I got over to the Huawei stand, there was a lot of interest in the buds so actually testing out how good this is will have to wait. The most interesting comparison will be with Sony’s WF-1000XM3 wireless buds.
Improved Call Quality
Pretty much every pair of buds I’ve ever tested delivers terrible call quality. The reasons for this is the mic being miles away from your mouth and the slightest bit of wind muffling audio.
The Huawei FreeBuds 3 will be combating this with a special duct over the mic. This duct will block wind, improving call quality. Again, the only experience I have with how this works was Huawei’s own on-stage demo versus Apple AirPods. That was impressive, but naturally, judgement shall be reserved for a hands-on review later this year.
All in all, the Huawei Freebuds 3 has made some pretty massive claims in Berlin. Whether or not they’ll deliver remains to be seen. You can expect to see this on the market in Ireland before Christmas.
Latest Facebook Hack Compromises User Phone Numbers
It would seem to be that there is a new hack, breach or scam nearly every week. Unfortunately this morning is no different, as there has been a new Facebook hack.
What Happened?
According to TechCrunch, an exposed server containing over 400 million user records was available online. The server was not password protected, meaning that it was accessible to anyone. Of the 419 million users involved in this Facebook hack, 133 million are in the United States, with 18 million in the UK. It’s unknown at this point if Irish users have been affected.
What Information was Available?
Well, a significant amount. Each individual record contained a unique Facebook user ID number. That ID number has a phone number linked to it. Facebook phone numbers haven’t been accessible in over a year. But, it is reported that many of the affected profiles are currently live. Other information accessed included user location, gender and name in some instances.
What Are Facebook Saying?
As you can imagine, Facebook are playing it down. They have confirmed the breach. But they have said that the number of users affected is around half of the reported 419 million. Facebook are also saying that the data is old, and a lot of the information is duplicated. A spokesperson for Facebook has said that “the dataset has been taken down and we have seen no evidence that Facebook accounts were compromised“.
This is the latest Facebook hack in a list of incidents. Last year, a Facebook hack affected 50 million users, including a number of Irish users.
What is the Impact of this latest Facebook Hack?
For anyone who has had their information compromised, it could be huge. Anyone who has had their phone number exposed are open to many concerns. These include spam calls, sim swaps, or resetting profile passwords associated with the phone number. For Irish users, it’s hard to guage the potential impact of this latest Facebook hack. It’s not known yet if any Irish users have been affected.
What Can I Do to Protect my Profile?
Given that there is a history of Facebook hacks, you should take some steps to protect your information online. Head to your contacts and basic info page on your Facebook profile. Check if the information there is needed. If it’s not, delete it.
Huawei Mate 30 Pro: Leaks To Date And Release Dates
While the Huawei P20 Pro blew me away last year, the Mate 20 Pro redefined what a smartphone should be. A year later and after falling in love with the sublime P30 Pro all over, I’m left wondering. “Can Huawei do it two years in a row?”. Can they release two epic handsets per year, two years on the trot? The Mate 30 Pro is set to launch this month and here’s everything we know so far.
Huawei Mate 30 Pro Launch Date
I’m not entirely sure why they do this, but Huawei won’t be announcing the Mate 30 Pro next week at IFA. They do have a press conference scheduled for next Friday, which I’ll be heading along to. However, this will only bring news of the new Kirin 990 processor and perhaps some other gadgetry.
The timings are odd because it’s not long after IFA that Huawei will launch their Mate 30 series at a special event in Munich on 19.09.2019.
Did you get it right? The countdown to #HuaweiMate30 starts now!
We're going full circle in Munich on 19.09.2019.
Join us live: https://t.co/9ugi5gG9ci#RethinkPossibilities pic.twitter.com/etRYjrBVEC— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) September 1, 2019
What Has Huawei Told Us About The Mate 30 Series?
Officially, everything in that tweet above is all we know about the Mate 30 Series. What could “going full circle” mean? 360-degrees photography perhaps? Upon second viewing, there’s a cinematic style animation within the circle. Perhaps the focus is shifting towards shooting pro-style videos? Only time will tell I guess.
That’s all she wrote for what Huawei has told us about their new flagship smartphone I’m afraid. We also know that, as of right now, the Mate 30 series will launch without Google’s native apps installed. Whether or not this issue will be resolved before launch remains to be seen.
Whether or not we’ll get to enjoy 360-degree photography remains to be seen, but look no further than the leaks and you’ll find that this social teaser does seem to confirm the new Mate 30’s design.
Huawei Mate 30 Pro Leaks
Some time ago, a Huawei marketing image for the Mate 30 Pro was leaked. While this remains unconfirmed, if we compare this to the official Huawei teaser shot, it would appear the “full circle” remark refers to the rear camera array of the Mate 30 Pro.
From this leak, it would appear the Mate 30 Pro will have five rear lenses. There are four lenses on the circular rear array, along with a fifth “Time of Flight” sensor/lens, positioned just below the flash. I’d imagine Huawei will do something a little crazy with the primary Leica lenses given the 10x optical and 50x digital hybrid zoom available on the P30 Pro.
On the front, it looks like the Mate 30 Pro will maintain the functionality from the Mate 20 Pro. That means you’ll get a basic enough selfie camera but 3D facial recognition and a flood illuminator sensor. Packing in all of that tech means there’ll be a wider notch on the phone, moving away from the increasingly popular teardrop selfie camera.
Update: Front Notch May Have Other Bits
Following another leak appearing on Twitter which appears to be fairly convincing, the full notch array on the front might be used for a triple lens selfie camera.
Speculative Huawei Mate 30 Pro Specs
| Brand | Huawei |
| Name | Mate 30 Pro |
| Release Date | TBC |
| Colours | Grey |
| Memory Options | 128GB and 256GB |
| RAM | 6GB RAM |
| Screen Size | 6.71-inch |
| Primary Camera | Triple 40MP Camera |
| Secondary Camera | 16MP |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| Operating System | Android with Huawei EMUI 10 |
| Processor | Huawei Kirin 990 |
| Battery | 4500 mAh |
| Charging | 55w fast charge, reverse wireless charging |
| Dimensions | TBC |
| Weight | TBC |
Brexit: Irish Passports And A Surge In Searches From People In The UK
If you ever want to check the date of the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote, I have a novel, if not slightly long-winded, way to check. Open Google Trends, type in “Irish passport”, change region to the United Kingdom and expand the date range to five years. Here’s what you get:
trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“TIMESERIES”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”irish passport”,”geo”:”GB”,”time”:”2014-01-08 2019-09-01″}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”date=2014-01-08%202019-09-01&geo=GB&q=irish%20passport”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”});
See that massive spike in June 2016. That’s the time of the Brexit vote. The day when the UK voted to leave the EU and millions of Britons turned to Google to find out how could they get their hands on an Irish passport.
Google Trends offers a unique insight into the mindset of a nation. When Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, the exact same thing happened where people started to seek out their options towards making their second nationality a bit more formal.
How To Read Google Trends Data
First up is a crash course in how to read Google Trends data. For popular search terms, you’ll see a date which reaches 100 on the Trends chart. This is the peak of that search terms popularity. Elsewhere, where you might see the same search term was 50 on another day. This means, on that second day, that search term was 50% less popular than the first.
Google Trends isn’t showing you search volume. It’s showing you search popularity and over time, search prevalence.
Northern Ireland Shows Biggest Leap In Google Searches
Rather unsurprisingly, Northern Ireland has shown the greatest leap in interest for Irish passports.
trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“TIMESERIES”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”irish passport”,”geo”:”GB-NIR”,”time”:”2004-01-08 2019-09-01″}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”date=2004-01-08%202019-09-01&geo=GB-NIR&q=irish%20passport”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”}); It would also appear that slightly more people are seeking out an Irish passport for the first time. This becomes apparent if we compare application and renewal searches.
trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“TIMESERIES”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”irish passport application”,”geo”:”GB-NIR”,”time”:”2004-01-08 2019-09-01″},{“keyword”:”irish passport renewal”,”geo”:”GB-NIR”,”time”:”2004-01-08 2019-09-01″}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”date=2004-01-08%202019-09-01&geo=GB-NIR&q=irish%20passport%20application,irish%20passport%20renewal”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”});
Manchester And Liverpool Lead Searches In England
It’s hardly a massive surprise that when we shift focus towards England, both Manchester and Liverpool lead the searches for Irish passport information.
trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“GEO_MAP”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”irish passport”,”geo”:”GB-ENG”,”time”:”2004-01-08 2019-09-01″}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”date=2004-01-08%202019-09-01&geo=GB-ENG&q=irish%20passport”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”});
When we run the same applying versus renewing comparison that we did for Northern Ireland, we see similar results. However, as you might expect, there’s less interest in renewals in comparison to first-time applications.
trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“TIMESERIES”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”irish passport application”,”geo”:”GB-ENG”,”time”:”2004-01-08 2019-09-01″},{“keyword”:”irish passport renewal”,”geo”:”GB-ENG”,”time”:”2004-01-08 2019-09-01″}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”date=2004-01-08%202019-09-01&geo=GB-ENG&q=irish%20passport%20application,irish%20passport%20renewal”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”});
I’ve adopted a saying I heard years ago. You’ll tell Google things you wouldn’t tell your friends and family. I’m sure there’s plenty of people in these searches discreetly applying for their Irish passports while supporting Britains exit from the EU.
The long term consequences of a no-deal Brexit will far surpass a potential difficulty in ordering from Amazon UK here in Ireland. As Google searches are showing us, people are concerned to the point where they’re finally taking the plunge and getting themselves an Irish passport. Can we really complain though? We’ve been taking footballers from England and the rest of the UK on the granny rule for years. 
IFA Berlin 2019 Preview: What To Expect From Europe’s Biggest Tech Show
I’m gearing up for my second trip to IFA Berlin to check out the latest consumer electronics, gadgets and innovations getting ready to hit the market. If you could cast your mind back to the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, well I’m Charlie and Messe Berlin becomes the Chocolate Factory. Whether you’re prepping for a trip to Berlin yourself or are just interested in what I’ll be checking out, here’s everything you need to know about IFA Berlin.
What Does IFA Stand For?
In the run-up to IFA, there’s an exchange that happens over and over again.
Me: “I’m off to IFA next week”.
Friend: “What, like the Ploughing Championships?”
Never even dawned on me, but I can assure you, the IFA I’m going to has got nothing to do with the Irish Farmer’s Association.
Instead, IFA is pronounced like the name ‘Aoife’. As the event takes place in Germany, you might have guessed that the name is also German. What you might not have guessed is that the name dates back to a time when radio was the emerging technology. IFA stands for Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, which translates to the International radio exhibition Berlin. It’s also, affectionately known as the Berlin Radio Show.
What’s On Show at IFA 2019?
While some of the heaviest hitters in tech will be on hand in Berlin. You can expect to see innovations from Sony, Google, LG, DJI and Amazon to name but a few. I couldn’t possibly name all the brands on show because IFA feels like two Aviva Stadiums stacked on top of each other and packed with both gadgets and nerds.
Last year was my first IFA and I did expect all of the above, but I was bowled over with the number of home appliances on show too. You see, IFA is one of the world’s leading trade shows. That means there’s also quite a lot of the non-sexy consumer tech stuff on the floor. Washing machines, humidifiers fridges and vacuums also add to the wide variety of items that will line the halls I’m walking next week.
5G Technology
Now that we’re all happy and convinced that 5G isn’t dangerous how are we going to use it? This will be the first IFA since 5G has really taken off. I’m sure there’s going to be lots of 5G powered gadgets on show this year in Berlin and I’ll be hunting them down to get hands on with 5G tech for the first time.
Last year I skimmed over some of the lesser known phone brands, but this year I’m going to give them a lot more attention.
Electric Scooters And PEVs
Electric scooters have just been given the green light in Germany. As a result, it looks like there’ll be even more personal electric vehicles appearing at IFA 2019. Single wheel electric unicycles, scooters, bikes and even electric go karts will be on my list of must sees in Berlin next week.
An Actual Cool Air Purifier Drone
I couldn’t get over the sheer number of air purifiers at IFA last year. Looking at the product list again this year, there’ll be no danger of dirty air again in the exhibition. The difference this year is that one of them is bloody cool.
The Flying Magic Cleaner is an air purifying drone. It flies around your home cleaning the air. I’m slowly getting more and more worried about the amount of dust that appears in my apartment, even more so, the thought of how much is entering my lungs. This is something I’ll definitely be checking out. Imagine this flying around while my Eufy smart vacuum is cleaning the floor.
Smart Locks And Home Security
Last year I saw the tip of the iceberg when it came to home security. This year, there’s going to be a lot more of this at IFA. I’ve spotted countless wireless home security cameras along with a digital replacement for front door peepholes and smart locks from companies like Yale.
It’ll be interesting to see what reps on the floor have to say about this kind of technology with companies like Amazon’s Ring currently coming under fire.
Personal Cloud Solutions
Now, this is something that I could see becoming the new normal in a world where trust in tech companies is at an all-time low. Western Digital, or WD, are best known for their portable hard drives. At IFA they’ll be showing off their personal cloud solutions. Instead of uploading all your files to Apple’s iCloud or Google’s Drive, you setup a network drive at home, connect it to the WiFi and then access it from anywhere else in the world.
I really love this idea and can’t wait to look into it a little further.
Anker
Last year was when I met Anker and started reviewing their products on a regular basis. They’ve yet to let me down with all of their brands churning our quality products. I’ve been impressed by everything from the Liberty Air earpods to the Eufy smart vacuum. I’m looking forward to popping over to the Anker stand again this year and seeing what new toys they have on show.
Huawei
Just before I fly out on Friday, I’ll be heading over to the Huawei press conference at IFA. There’s been a lot of talk about the Mate 30 launch and how Google won’t support. However, at last year’s event, we got to see the latest Kirin processor and Huawei will launch the Kirin 990 processor at IFA this year.
Huawei will have one of the biggest stands at the event, showing off a wide range of their smartphones, laptops, tablets, wearables and non-cellular gadgets. I’ll be spending a bit of time over there for sure to see what they have on show.
Sony
Sony is one of the heaviest hitters at IFA every year. It’ll be interesting to see if they release and update to their WH-1000XM3 over ear headphones or maybe release a new smartphone. Sony views IFA as a big conference and usually drops something big at it, so watch this space.
Wine Gadgets
I recently revealed that I’ve turned into a bit of a wine snob thanks to the Vivino app. Technology can turn us all into wine experts so let’s lean into it. At IFA I’ve spotted at least two gadgets that’ll help you get the most out of your wine tasting experiences. One of them is the Vinaera Pro, an electric wine aerator that gives the wine the same flavour as letting it air for 45 minutes.
Next up is the MyOeno. We actually met these guys at Dublin Tech Summit a few years ago and I’m looking forward to seeing how far they’ve come. They’ll be in the IFA Next area, one of the most exciting areas for all of IFA.
Headphones, Earphones And More
I was looking through all the personal audio accessories and thought things were looking a little samey. Then I came across AfterShokz bone conduction headphones. These are a great concept for many scenarios. As the headphones lets you enjoy audio while also letting you hear your surroundings, they’re perfect for people running or commuting by bike or scooter.
Cosmo
Speaking of scooter safety, Cosmo will also be at IFA Next. These guys are creating some great cycling and scooter safety products. Things like smart indicators for your helmet which can also detect accidents and contact your loved ones to come get help. Cool idea right?
The most important thing to note is that from all these things, the real secrets of IFA 2019 won’t be revealed until I walk the floors of Messe Berlin. Follow me on Twitter along with the Goosed account on Twitter for all the latest news straight outta Berlin.
“Sorry Me Hole” Is Trending After Man Dumps Matress In Boghole
I’m not going to lie. I thoroughly enjoyed typing that title. It’s one of those incredibly Irish moments, isn’t it? One of those moments where you forget about Brexit. You forget about Trump, and you just sit back and appreciate the fact we’re living on a wee island that can avoid all the shite. We come from the land that churns out poets like Yeats, Heaney, Beckett, Boland and Montague. Now we can add red van man to the list.
Why is “Sorry Me Hole” Trending?
Sometimes I love this country 😂 🇮🇪 #SorryMeHole pic.twitter.com/jDoCBVRbaJ
— sineadnico (@sineadnico) August 30, 2019
She’s right you know. We’re a great wee country.
This is the story of a man driving a “one five two” and another man driving a red van. Mr. One-Five-Two from Ballinagar Offaly, decided to drive out the road and dump a matress in a bog hole. Unfortunately for him, a man driving a red van spotted him and was having absolutely none of it.
The red van guy recorded his put down of Mr. One-Five-Two and it’s absolutely glorious. The full, uncensored, video has appeared on Twitter. Now, if you’re sensitive to bad language, someone being caught rotten and, I better mention, the dropping of “c-bombs”, this isn’t the video for you.
Oh the unbleeped #sorrymehole is *spectacular*. Profanity warning! pic.twitter.com/qdwFoHCKne
— Gavin Sheridan (@gavinsblog) August 30, 2019
For some, this video is important because it’ll shift some merchandise. Hairy Baby t-shirts certainly didn’t miss a trick.
G'way 'n shite 😉 #SorryMeHole pic.twitter.com/BSgQufBql1
— Hairy Baby T-Shirts (@HairyBabyTees) August 30, 2019
For me, it’s the fact stereotypes are being smashed makes this bigger. It’s the culchie with a van berating a softspoken gentle-looking man about the environment. The result is a video which is hilarious but also raising awareness about how we are all responsible for looking after our planet.
What Is Flytipping?
Today, I live in Dublin but I’m from a small parish called Clara. Not the one that’s a twenty-minute drive from Mr One-Five-Two in Offaly, but instead the one in Kilkenny. I like to go for a walk when I’m home and there’s often trash being thrown in dykes and ditches. It’s shocking that so many people think it’s acceptable to put down their window and throw out their bag of McDonalds or similar.
This is called flytipping and it’s a very serious problem in rural Ireland. In recent years, there have been more and more recycling centers opening with very fair prices to get rid of things like matresses. Still, people thing it’s better to dump their garbage out the countryside. Videos like this can unite the country in understanding this simply isn’t acceptable.
Now, to end on a lighter note, one of my favourite bits is where the guy in the red van puts down the dumper by saying “driving around in your 152”. Is that not just the most Irish way to call someone out? The year of their car. Brilliant.