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Anker Accessories: One of the Biggest Companies You’ve Never Heard Of

Marty
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Anker Accessories: One of the Biggest Companies You’ve Never Heard Of

Anker is a huge company, yet there’s a fair chance you haven’t heard of them. In fairness, they primarily focus on the American and Chinese market, but you can buy them on Amazon.co.uk really easily. I’ve been recommending Anker for years as the best alternative for iPhone cables which have a tendency to break…all the time. That’s why I was really excited to go to their first Anker On Board event recently in New York City and see what latest gadgets Anker will be offering on Amazon in the coming months.

Who is Anker?

For years, Irish consumers have been rather limited when it came to tech shopping. You could have any smartphone, once it was Apple or Samsung and when the cable breaks, you can either buy cheap dangerous cheap knockoffs or expensive official replacements made by the manufacturer. Over the past twelve months, the Irish market has been shaken up as tech shoppers like me and you now have more choice, whether it be from the likes of Huawei or Xiaomi.

I’m really hoping that Anker officially joins the market in the near future too, but even though you have to order them from Amazon.co.uk, I can’t recommend this company and their accessories enough.

Founded in 2011, the Chinese company made a name for itself and one of the world’s best power bank manufacturers. I’ll agree that isn’t the sexiest area in tech to specialise in, but in the seven years since, Anker as spawned some incredible tech including some very exciting sub-brands, namely:

  • Anker
  • Eufy
  • Nebula
  • Soundcore
  • Zolo
  • Roav

I’ll go through some more of these in a bit as I list off the cool products I got to play with at Anker On Board, hosted by Anker in New York’s Meatpacking District.

Anker: Power

My one fear of attending an Anker event was that they’d show off a few chargers and that would be it. Ironically, not only did they show off loads of incredible tech, but they also showed off some charging innovations which blew me away; innovations which were arguably the highlight of the night.

There are over 4 billion chargers shipped every year, with 95% of them bundled with a new device. We all know that we need to make some changes to how we behave to protect the planet, and Anker believes they can make a massive contribution. Speaking at Anker’s launch event, Steven Yang, CEO of Anker, predicted a BYOC future where you Bring Your Own Charger. In this world, Yang wants Anker to rule the roost and as such, they’ve created a suite of massively impressive phone chargers.

 

The Atom PowerPort range of chargers combines USB Power Delivery technology with Gallium Nitrate in a departure from traditional silicon-based chargers. As a result, Anker’s Atom chargers can charge both smartphones and MacBooks, with several of the range boasting enough ports to charge many devices at once. Thanks to the tech deployed by Anker, the Atom PowerPort range of chargers are not only capable of charging several devices, but can also charge them up to 2.5 times faster. That’s despite the Atom PowerPort PD 1 being 40% smaller than the average MacBook charger.

this outlined Anker’s ambition and got me really excited about what they are capable of

The long story short here is that on a night with smart cameras, home projectors and Google Assistant-powered speakers, I was most excited by the Atom charging range. Not only because of the tech being able to power my smartphone and MacBook but also because this outlined Anker’s ambition and got me really excited about what they are capable of.

Pricing to be confirmed later.

Soundcore: Model Zero+

Charging gadgets aside, Anker’s OnBoard event got one with what I would usually consider the more exciting tech announcements. The Model Zero+ is a slightly handbag-esque speaker, but while the insides of handbags remain a mystery to me, this speaker I can shine some light on.

The Model Zero+ combines the two most popular audio connectivity options on the market; Bluetooth and WiFi, meaning you can connect either way from a range of devices.

This speaker packs in a range of features, including a five-hour battery and Google Assistant, but most importantly, the sound quality from the Model Zero+ is fantastic.

Pricing to be confirmed later.

Eufy: A Modern Take on Home Security

Would you believe that even before I started a life selling phones which led to me starting Goosed.ie, I was a door-to-door monitored alarm salesman. They were dark days, but I did learn there were a lot of people in Ireland who were willing to buy expensive systems, pay ongoing fees and have complicated systems installed, all in the search of peace of mind.

Back in April, 2018, Anker launched their home security offering under their Eufy brand. They went through Kickstarter, not to drum up cash, but to drum up excitement and boy did they achieve that. Their campaign is still the most funded smart home product in Kickstarter history. Here’s why people love it so much.

The team behind the Eufy camera system did some research into what people hate most about existing home security; the costs and the complications. Then they built their Eufy camera system to avoid all of that. The Eufy system is completely wireless, powered by a battery which will last for a year. The camera is fixed to the wall with a strong magnet, which also means you can easily point the camera and move it around as required.

You also get some smarts built into the cameras as they learn the faces of regular visitors to your house, only identifying unknown faces as intruders. There’s also storage space built into each camera which stores footage locally, footage which you can view from anywhere in the world, all of which comes with no additional cost.

There’s also no monthly fee and the upfront installation costs are fair. In the States, you’re looking at about $500 for the kit to get you started. I remember most people didn’t like the idea of monitored house alarms because they didn’t trust monitoring companies to actually keep an eye on things, so with the Eufy security system you can just look after things yourself.

Pricing to be confirmed later.

Nebula Capsule II: Exciting Home Entertainment

Do you remember a few years ago when MTV started showing Cribs? All I wanted in my gaff was a projector. Last year I picked up a €100 projector from Amazon and recently plugged a Now TV stick into it to get Sky Movies, Sky Sports and Netflix at the flick of a switch. The projector itself can be quite loud so I need to use an external speaker, but the moral of this store is really to show you buying a projector is no longer reserved for the rich and famous.

Nebula is another Anker company out to make sure that message hits home with people. The Nebula Capsule II has just launched on Kickstarter and it looks like it might very well raise $1 million despite only targeting $50,000. This projector has actually been designed based on a can of Coke, so right away you can imagine just how small it is. Don’t let the size deceive you because in this small can sized projector, you get a three-hour battery and Android TV. This all contributes to a projector capable of delivering 720p video quality and a screen size of up to 100-inches big. The expected price for this in the States will be $500.

Now, I’ve told you about the €100 projector, so why pay five times that? Well, the Nebula Capsule II is at least five times better than the projector I have. For example, the Nebula Capsule II runs almost silently – I had to put my ear right up against to ear any sort of fan noise. When I saw the Capsule II working, it wasn’t in complete darkness, something required for my own projector, but still, the picture quality was really impressive and clear.

Nebula has also teamed up with Google to include Android TV. This means you can watch videos from Netflix and YouTube and thousands of other apps straight away on the Capsule II, right out of the box. I’m not sure if this means you’ll also get RTÉ Player on the projector, but I hope to test that out in the near future. With Google on board, you also get Google Assistant so you press a button on the remote and simply ask for what you want to watch. I’m been impressed with how my Google Home connects to Chromecast and expect similar integration here so this is definitely a feature I’d be looking forward to playing with some more.

Pricing to be confirmed later.

When Can You Buy All This Stuff?

We’re still waiting for UK launch dates for Anker’s range, but as soon as they launch in the UK you’ll be able to grab them on Amazon and ship them to Ireland direct or using Parcel Motel. Keep an eye on Goosed’s social accounts as we’ll be watching out for these launches ourselves. In the meantime, check out Anker’s existing range on Amazon safe in the knowledge they are a top class brand. I’ll also be testing out a few other bits and pieces from Anker and their sub-brands over the next few months, so do follow Goosed on Twitter and Instagram along with Facebook if you’re still into that kind of thing.

Build your own smartphone with new Kickstarter – Kite

Jon
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Build your own smartphone with new Kickstarter – Kite

Think about this… on your smartphone is there a bunch of features you basically never use. Whether that’s the camera or the headphone jack, wouldn’t it be cool to have the ability to create a custom phone with just the features you wanted? If the answer is yes then a simple DIY kit such as iSquare Mobility’s Kite could lets you assemble your own Android-based smartphone.

Build your own smartphone

Ok, so Kite is basically a cross over between Lego and Ikea for phones. The kit lets you build your own phone by selecting all the bits and pieces such as camera, battery, display and all the other usual features and then assemble them all in a 3D printed case.

Sure you will find hundreds of phones with better spec sheets that are much better looking than a Kite, but there is something nerdgasmic about building your own smartphone. Imagine whipping that bad boy out in a bar.

Here’s the kicker, you will need about €300 and some level of tech know-how to actually complete your own build. This is because when building your own phone you will need to connect up a bunch of electronics, you won’t need a soldering iron unless you want to add extras but still electronics can be fiddly. Another aspect that wouldn’t make the Kite phone accesible to all is this – you need to 3D print your own case. You can download the designs and work away but I think it says enough about the target market that the makers presume the people who will buy the kit will already own a 3D printer.

OS Android 7.1.1
Model V2
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Adreno 306 GPU
Display 5″ QHD  (1280×720)
Cameras Rear: 12MP
Front: 8MP
Memory unknown
Battery 3000mAh
Network Connectivity UMTS/HSPA+: 1, 2, 4, 5 6, 8
GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
CDMA EV-DO Rev. A: 0, 1, 10
FDD-LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66
TDD-LTE: 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43
TD-SCDMA: 34, 39
Other Connectivity WiFi 802.11a/b/h/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS
Ports USB Type-C, Power Pins, Nano SIM

Customise as you want

If you are a bit of a gadget head and reckon the challenge of building your own phone is something you would be up for then you’re in luck. Every aspect of the Kite phone is customisable. Want your phone to run off AA batteries? Fine, modify the case design to suit. Want better wireless performance? Hook up and external antenna and off you go. If you want to go completely mad you can even hook up a secondary display because why not. These are just the mods we can see from the demo videos – personally I would love the Goosed team to get hold of a couple of kits, just to see what we can come up with.

Thanks to the open hardware and software designs and support for off-the-shelf hardware components, you could theoretically alter just about any feature… assuming you’re willing to take the time to find compatible components and hack your phone to support them.

What’s the big push for a modular phone about?

So why do modular phones keep popping up? is it because they sound like something we should have? are they nifty little ideas for investors?  or is it the fact that with electronic waste growing we need something different? Most likely it is a nice niche where the general consumer could save a fortune by not having to fork out for a new handset each year.

Basically the idea is that upgrading your phone can be like upgrading your home Pc. Rather than forking out hundreds on a new device, just buy exactly what you need to bring your phone up to date. A new battery,  better camera or a new display, if you want it you can have it.

The modular phone sounds like something you or I or any other customer would want to have, right?. Well time and time again we have seen the humble idea fall flat on its face like a toddler trying to make it’s first steps.

We ourselves loved the concept of Google’s Project Ara and it is still the most high profile failure of them all. The Lego inspired phone started out with the idea that all components both internal and external could be swapped. Yet later this transitioned to focusing on external, attachable accessories. This was the beginning of the end as less the a year later the Google Pixel was released and the Ara was shutdown.

Others have tried to make the modular phone

Image result for project ara

This isn’t the first time I’ve got a little excited by a modular phone, it’s also not the only time I’ve been let down by a modular phone. Project Ara or Phoneblox, another modular phone start up that was picked up by Google offered so much promise for a long time. We had a lot of hope for the Google backed phone but unfortunately it got scrapped.

LG also had a crack with a semi modular phone, using a slot that could accept a single module add on at a time… again this was given the boot when the G6 was announced.

There was also the Essential PH-1 (another fail) while the most successful “modular” phone was the Motorola Moto Z but this only supported one of Motorola’s own mod accessories at a time. So the general train of thought is, many have tried, all have failed and while I think the Kite is a cool product they have nailed themselves into a small niche market. Without changes to the design that makes customisation and accessibility easier to all, Kite will fail too. That’s unfortunate because for the longest time I’ve wanted to see a successful modular phone just for the environmental benefits alone.

The Goosed Verdict

To be fair if you have the skillset, patience and a complete lack of style then Kite is a winner. The Kite smartphone is actually one of the most complete solutions I have seen to date and it’s a real cut above many of the other DIY kits. Having said that the problems are obvious. You will need a decent level of technical know-how to make a phone that while customisable, is downright ugly and far less powerful than most phones on the market.

Maybe I’m wrong, if Raspberry Pi is anything to go by there is a market for low-power, highly customisable hardware. Unfortunately the Kite might be just too niche right now.

Xiaomi Launches in Ireland With Three Phones and Eco Accessory Range

Marty
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0
Xiaomi Launches in Ireland With Three Phones and Eco Accessory Range

When I think back to the mobile landscape when I worked in a phone shop a few years back, boy has it changed. After years of waiting and hoping, Xiaomi has entered the Irish market at an exciting Dublin launch event co-hosted by Three Ireland. I went along to take a look at what was on offer. Spoiler alert, Xiaomi has some pretty cool stuff.

How to Pronounce Xiaomi

Right. Let’s kick things off with how to pronounce a word that starts with “x” because that’s not going to go down to well in Ireland, right? Director of Marketing, Wilkin Lee nailed teaching the crowd how to say Xiaomi:

The Xiaomi Smartphone Range in Ireland

Xiaomi is a simply massive company. Behind Samsung, Apple and Huawei, they are the fourth biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world. Xiaomi is also a unique company in how they value their customers:

Xiaomi Redmi 6

Dual cameras are fast becoming the standard on flagship smartphones. Apple adopts this setup for their uber-flagship phones with Huawei going one step further and slapping triple lenses into the P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro. While all of these phones are brilliant and the nonchalant use of lenses means you get great shots, you’re left with very little cash in your pocket. The Xiaomi Redmi 6 is going for just €149.99 but even at that price, you get a dual camera setup. I need to do a little more digging, but from the phones I’ve seen so far, that’s the cheapest dual camera smartphone money can buy.

xiaomi redmi 6

That’s not the only impressive spec Xiaomi pack into the Redmi 6, with the octa-core processor also sticking out to me as being mind-blowing for this price range.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

One of the bigger Xiaomi handsets, the Redmi Note 5 is clearly on the way to being a flagship smartphone without the flagship price. Despite costing just €199.99, the Redmi Note 5 is powered by a massive 4000 mAh battery. With all that power you can take even more great shots for longer thanks to the primary dual camera setup. Also, expect stunning selfies as the front-facing camera on the Redmi Note 5 is a ridiculous 20MP.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s is genuinely silly impressive when it comes to the spec it packs in and the receptions its already been getting. The phone is made from ceramic, not aluminium which has become the new norm. Ceramic can apparently improve the phone’s coverage while still remaining quite tough. Sorry, I wasn’t allowed do a drop test.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s is genuinely silly impressive

The design of the Mi Mix 2s had literally lead to it being installed in galleries like The International Design Museum in Munich. But physical design aside, this is a really clever phone from Xiaomi.

xiaomi mi mix 2s

The front-facing camera is in a bizarre position as it sits on the bottom right side of the phone, not the more traditional spot on the top. This means you get a beautiful, unhampered view at the top of the phone without any notches – just in case that’s not your thing. Xiaomi has even adopted an ultrasound-based proximity sensor. This is how a phone knows it’s beside your ear when making a call and in turn, switches off the touchscreen. By adopting ultrasound technology, Xiaomi was able to reduce the wasted space at the top of the phone.

You might be thinking that selfie camera is positioned terribly then, ready to capture all those extra chins you don’t need the world seeing. Well, this is how clever Xiaomi is. The idea here is that you simply spin the phone upside down to take the selfie and then it’s just like any other phone.

You can pick up the Mi Mix 2s for €459.99 on prepay or €79 on Three’s €45 per month plan.

It really is a design masterclass from Xiaomi, but they’re not happy with JUST smartphones.

Xiaomi Eco Range

The Xiaomi Eco range is rather impressive in its diversity. Adding to their portfolio of impressive smartphones, Xiaomi has a range of products in audio, fitness and even transport. Yup, one of the things that really stood out at the Xiaomi Ireland launch was the massive electric scooter track, which naturally came with a scooter for people to try out.

The Xiaomi M365 Scooter

My Santa was really easy in 2018. All I wanted was the Xiaomi M365 scooter – and I got it! Walking to the office every morning, it’s clear how popular these things have become. Electric scooters are a fantastic way to cut some time off your morning walk to work or, for some, an electric scooter might mean no sitting in traffic or waiting for a bus to stop.

The Xiaomi M365 is a foldable scooter, which means it will also appeal to those who get a bus to near work but still have a wee walk on the final leg of the journey. Despite its convenience, the M365 can still manage to get you flying along up to 25 kmph for a range of 29.9km. There are various power settings that can lead to these figures varying, but that’s plenty for most people. Some have shown concern about the legality of these scooters, but I’ve been in touch with the Gardai myself and can confirm they are road legal, the same as a bicycle.

You can buy this scooter from select Three stores around the country for €449.

Learn more about what’s on offer from Three Ireland.

Apple and Samsung Fined for Practice of Planned Obsolescence

Jon
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0
Apple and Samsung Fined for Practice of Planned Obsolescence

The worst kept secret in the tech world is finally out, Apple and Samsung intentionally slow their phones down over time to entice you to buy their latest model. Shock, Horror, Gasp!!!

Well Apple and Samsung have been fined €10m and €5m respectively by an Italian court for what’s called “planned obsolescence’. AKA building phones with the intention of slowing them over time – yano make the phone you spend a fortune on slower over a couple of years so you buy a new one. Not cool.

Really they do that?

Image result for apple and samsung

Yup, so there was an investigation launched back in January by the Special Antitrust Unit of the Guardia di Finanza and the Italian Competition and Market Authority. These parties are responsible for monitoring competition between parties and they found that both companies were running software updates that has a detrimental effect on performance.

Right now this is the first time a ruling has been made either company for these actions even if it had been suspected for a long time. The Italian watchdogs went as far as to claim that ‘Apple and Samsung implemented dishonest commercial practices’ and that certain updates ’caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced performance, thus accelerating phones’ substitution’.

The watchdog has fined Apple €5 million fine for not giving customers information about their devices’ batteries, like how to get them replaced and expected life span. The other  €5 million fine comes from problems that occurred when iPhone 6 users installed iOS 10. The software designed for the iPhone 7  had greater energy demands which caused the phone to shut down randomly. The company did release a fix in the 10.2.1 update but they failed to let customers know that it would throttle CPUs on older devices with aging batteries in order to prevent the occurrences of these random shutdowns.

Samsung got their €5 million fine when Samsung released Android Marshmallow on the Note 4, which was meant for the Note 7. The firmware was too demanding for the older note and caused malfunctions resulting in customers paying high repair charges for a phone who at that point in time would just be outside of its two year warranty.

History

This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, around this time last year Apple actually admitted that it slowed down older phones through software updates. The claim was that they did this to prevent their older phones from shutting down or becoming a hazard due to the degradation of their lithium batteries. After this latest scandal it’s hard to believe this is the case, intentionally planned obsolescence is not done to make your phone last longer no matter what a company wants us to believe. Unfortunately this is sheer greed on behalf of the two biggest phone manufacturers in the world, but it’s not surprising.

Image result for apple battery replacement

Last year after the scandal Apple did apologize and they even made replacement batteries cheaper, they even offered the option to stop the processor slowing down as well as monitoring battery life. Guilty conscience or getting people back on side? I know what I believe anyway.

Going Forward

Samsung have publicly stated that they plan to appeal the decision (Apple are staying quiet this time). In the words of Samsung:

“Samsung did not issue any software update that reduced the Galaxy Note 4’s performance. In contrast, Samsung has always released software updates enabling our customers to have the best experience possible.”

I guess we will have to wait for the appeal to see if Samsung are telling the truth on this one but this first prosecution could just be the start of bigger things to come. In France, organisations are conducting an investigation very similar to the Italian case, while there is a class action lawsuits against both companies in California for the similar issues. Now is not the best time for these kind of suits for either company, over the last couple of months we have seen some cracking phones from Google, Sony and Huawei hit the market and if Apple and Samsung don’t cut the bs then we might see more people jumping ship.

How many fines and court cases will it take to see the back of this planned obsolescence is any one’s guess but damn I would love to see how long my trusty Samsung Galaxy S8 would last without dodgy software.

Dublin set to bring in new Airbnb laws in June

Jon
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Dublin set to bring in new Airbnb laws in June

We all know the current housing market in Ireland is a shambles. With protests like “Take Back the City” and the very public eviction case in Dublin recently, I think it’s fair to assume people want change.

In order to try and help the free up extra beds in one of the toughest cities to rent in the world, landlords are now facing a number of new restrictions that will impact landlords who let our their properties on Airbnb. Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has announced that we will be bringing in legislation that will mean that only the principal residence, or family home, can be rented on a short-term basis. Here’s everything you need to know.

How Does Airbnb Work?

Airbnb is the world’s biggest accommodation website in the world and it doesn’t even own any property.  Since the company launched in 2009, it’s grown from helping 21,000 guests a year find a place to stay to helping six million a year go on holiday, and currently lists a staggering 800,000 properties in 34,000 cities across 90 different countries. That’s an awful lot of houses.

Essentially Airbnb is an online market place that lets people rent out their spare rooms to guests, in return Airbnb takes 3% commission of every booking from hosts, and between 6% and 12% from guests. Rather than booking a hotel room for a night a person can rent a room in someone else gaff or the full house/apartment for a fraction of the price. Booking is also as easy as getting a hotel room, pick your city, pick your place and pay. That’s it, your good to go.

With global demand as it is, a standard host can earn over 5k extra per year (an average 15% increase in the average wage). While the notion of the little guy renting out a room in his home is a lovely picture to paint, this is not the case in Ireland.

Think about this if you could get an extra 5k for your spare bedroom you would right? Now put that in the hands of the Dublin landlords who owns multiple properties and wants to avoid the hassle of the long term rental market, what do you get? Pretty much exactly the situation we have now. Last year over 640,000 guests used Airbnb in Ireland over the summer.

So What Are These New Rules?

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Who’s doing something fun this weekend? I’m doing a little street workshop tonight on my way to doing it more regularly. I said it a good while ago that I really want to share what I have learned about photography with others. The street workshops are just around the corner. Watch this space. Have a lovely evening 📸❤️ . . . . . #rawdublin #lovindublin #dublincity #architecture #instaireland #discoverdublin #lonelyplanet #topirelandphoto #thespire #athomeintheworld #lovedublin #travellingthroughtheworld #living #cloudsanddirt # #lovedublin #LifeOfAdventure #living_europe #henryst #ExploreToCreate #ArtOfVisuals #AGameOfTones #ModernOutdoors #OurPlanetDaily #instagram #PassionPassport #Dublin #AwesomeEarth #autumn #dublin #ireland

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Minister Eoghan Murphy plans to bring in new regulations which will be in place for July this year.

“my aim is to try and find the best regulatory system for the short-term letting market”.

Given the state of the current housing market in Ireland even Airbnb are open to talks to create clear guidelines for hosts. The new proposed regulations are as follows:

  • Landlords will require permission to lease properties on a short term basis
  • Council will have power to refuse to give a landlord a short term letting “licence”
  • Homeowners can rent a room in their main home as they wish
  • Primary residence can only be leased for 90 days a year at a max 14 days at a time
  • Secondary residences or investment properties cannot be used for short term leases
  • Potential Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) of 4%

These new rules have worked in other cities. In Vancouver for example listings of Airbnb’s fell from 6,600 to just under 3,500 in just over 18 months. A similar result in the capital is sure to have a positive knock on effect for the long term rental market in Dublin. While the Minister agree that a family going on holiday and let out their full property or a room to cover bills, the feeling is that the there are too many secondary properties that are vacant. Putting 2/3,000 of these properties back into the rental market can only be a good thing.

What Other Cities Have Done

These new rules aren’t exclusive to Dublin. Many other cities that have had similar housing issues in major areas have implemented rules for Airbnb’s. So what have they done:

Toronto, Canada

Image result for toronto

Very similar to Dublin, Toronto has a housing market with a less than 1% vacancy rate. In December 2017, Toronto County Council have brought in rules for short term lettings (defined as 28 days or less). These new rules to bring supply back to Canada’s most expensive rental market included:

  • Short term rental operators are required to register
  • Restrictions on homeowners letting rooms in their main home
  • Banning listing of “secondary suites” aka basement apartments
  • Homeowners can only offer their entire home for 180 or less per calendar year

These rules were supposed to go live in July this year but delays and appeals process means that both Toronto and Dublin will both have new regulations in place next summer.

Paris, France

Image result for paris

Paris, probably is the biggest tourist market in the world so it probably should be no surprise that the people of the city wanted to limit the number of short term properties in the city. Right now Airbnb lists over 50,000 listings in Paris and the city has some pretty strict rules in place:

  • Hosts are all required to register with the city
  • All properties are limit of 120 nights per year for short term lettings
  • Hosts fined on illegal rentals – the city council have collected 1.4million in fines so far in 2018

These laws have helped bring some extra properties back to the normal housing market is the city but the sheer volume of fines shows that landlords are still willing to take the risk. That’s why this chap Ian Brossat (Communist City Council) wants Airbnb to be banned outright from Paris’ first to fourth arrondissements – aka no Airbnb’s in the cities most popular tourist areas.

Barcelona, Spain

Image result for barcelona

Another big city with rental problems of it’s own Barcelona has also taken matters into it’s own hands regarding Airbnb:

  • All hosts are required to register with the city
  • Heavy fines for going over letting limits or letting illegally
  • Implementation of a 100 person taskforce to track down unregistered hosts

The city also wants all tourists to check if their listing is registered via this website, while locals are also asked to report unregistered hosts. Since implementing their “Fair Tourism” campaign, the city says it has closed down more than 2,000 illegal tourist beds.

New York & San Fransisco, USA

Image result for new york

In July just gone the New York major signed a new law that required all Airbnb and other short term letting platforms to hand over all names and addresses of it’s hosts or risk big fines. With this data the city plan to create legislation in early 2019 that will crack down on short term rentals.

Funnily enough Airbnb was founded in San Francisco and they were the first city to bring in regulations. Back in 2014 the city limited lettings of vacant properties to 90 nights a year but people could rent rent a room in their house year round. All hosts are also required to register with the city for a charge and so far this has seen the number of Airbnb listing drop below 12,000, almost a 50% decrease.

Berlin, Germany

Image result for berlin

In 2016 Berlin actually banned all short term rentals. This big statement was overturned back in March with new strict regulations taking over:

  • All hosts to register and obtain a permit from the city council
  • Rent a room in your main house as you wish
  • Vacant properties can be rented through the platform for max 90 days per year
  • Fines of up to €500,000 for breaching the city policy

How Airbnb Responded

In fairness it wasn’t Airbnb that caused the current housing crisis in Ireland. Since the announcement of the new regulations they have come out and had their say on the matter.

“Home sharing didn’t cause Ireland’s historic housing concerns, and many will be disheartened to hear a false promise that these proposals are the solution”

To to fair, they have a point. Look the number of houses using Airbnb services rather than using the standard rental market is too high in a city under as much pressure of Dublin. The question however is this Airbnb’s fault? I don’t think so… all Airbnb does is give people a platform to boost their income by renting a room on a short term basis. The company added in their statement that Ireland has the fourth lowest per capita level of house building in the EU while our population is growing at five times the EU average.

“We want to be regulated.We are hopeful and optimistic Government will want to do something that works.” Airbnb’s head of policy Chris Lehane

The company have welcomed some regulation but they don’t want to be made out to be the problem, that’s actually fair enough. The countries current housing crisis is as a result of years of bad decisions from banks and government creating a legacy issue we are now dealing with. While free reign for a company like Airbnb in a city like Dublin is not a good

Will These Rules Actually Fix the Problems in Our Rental Market?

No, not at all. This isn’t a silver bullet solution to Dublin’s current housing issues. Yes regulating a company like Airbnb is a good idea, yes bringing potentially 3,000 more houses into the Dublin market is a great thing, yes this will take some pressure off the current rental market in the city. Buuuut let’s be clear here, a tech company is not the reason for our current sh*tshow of a housing market, the answer to that is much closer to home. I welcome the decision to regulate Airbnb but until the Irish government steps up and actively starts building affordable housing, fixes rental prices and stops prioritizing landlords over people then nothing is going to change.

Podcasts to Get You in the Mood for Halloween

Neal
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Podcasts to Get You in the Mood for Halloween

Many of us love a good podcast, whether it’s for listening at night-time to bring us slowly to sleepy land, in the car whilst driving, on the bus ignoring our fellow passengers, or just listening while we are out for a walk or jog/slog. Of course being the Halloween week, lots of us also like a good scary or thought provoking podcast and not just those who grew up terrifying insects and animals. The problem is the sheer number and variety of podcasts available can be a bit daunting, so we at Goosed.ie have curated a list of some of our favorite podcasts that we think will help you get in the Halloween mood.

Unexplained

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A fortnightly podcast written, produced and presented by Richard Maclean Smith, which covers the paranormal, bizarre or still unexplained mysteries. All are all based on fact and real life events, such as the Jack the Ripper murders, UFO/Aliens Encounters, Reincarnation stories, Ouija board misadventures and pretty much everything else in between. Richard’s smooth narration, coupled with eerie background music, evoke an easy listening style that makes this a great choice for late night listening. Episodes are never boring, sometimes downright scary and occasionally question what you always thought be the impossible, and wonder if it’s the only possible rational explanation.

Check it out here: https://www.acast.com/unexplained

Casefile True Crime

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Sometimes a good real life crime story can chill you to the bones and make you appreciate all the more that the bad guys/girls are safely locked up or long since departed this earth. Casefile presents brilliantly researched true life crime stores from around the world, featuring interviews with detectives involved in cases and sometimes the perpetrator themselves.

Presented by the “Anonymous Host” who thus far has kept his identity a secret. He is though clearly an Australian guy or imitates a brilliant Aussie drawl, just perfect for this style of podcast.

Check it out here: https://www.acast.com/casefiletruecrimepodcast

Lore

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A dark and frequently unsettling podcast that explores the connection between our past and how it has shaped modern superstitions. Each episode forces us to confront our fears head-on. If you always wondered who the creature is that comes out only a night in the dark corner of your bedroom, here you may likely find the answer but it probably not what you hoped for. Not one to give you pleasant dreams at night, but it will keep you glued to your headphones and counting the days till the next episode. Produced and hosted by Aaron Mahnke, it recently has been adapted for TV by Amazon video.

Listen here: https://www.acast.com/lore

The No Sleep Podcast

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This is one of those podcasts where the production values are on a par with the big broadcasters. Episodes typically contain 5-6 stories and usually last 1-2 hours each. Accompanied by brilliant narration and suitably bleak and imposing background music, It’s almost like a podcast version of the famous TV show from years back, The Twilight Zone (Google it if your’re too young to remember). I played a few of these episodes on a journey back from Cork recently, and the journey was over in a flash. Long journeys by car and at night will no longer seem such a drag.

Listen here: https://www.acast.com/nosleep

And as ever there’s always out TechYurt Podcast…..just saying.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Review: Everything You Need to Know

Jon
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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Review: Everything You Need to Know

It’s becoming harder and harder to ignore the fact that the gaming industry is going through some form of boom with epic titles like Fifa 19, Spider-man and Red Dead Redemption all hitting the shelves around the same time. Now it’s time to add another title to that ever growing list of top games to play this Winter. Over the last couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of test driving the new Assassin’s Creed Odyssey game by Ubisoft and I have to say it’s bloody quality.

Roughly the 20th title in the Assassin’s Creed story, Odyssey boasts an incredible open-world covering the Ancient Isle’s of Greece in stunning detail and with over 50 hours of game-play it’s hard not to completely loose track of time. True story… my first night playing the game I did the usual “Ah, I’ll do an hour, see what it’s all about and hit the hay”, well I was wrong, 5 hours and 15 missed calls later I was finally ready to come back to reality.

Setting the Scene

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Set over 2,400 years ago before the Peloponnesian war: a decades-long struggle between Athens and Sparta for dominion over the ancient Greek world, we begin our journey in a world in trouble. For the first time ever in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey title you get the choice to play as one of two characters, Alexios or Kassandra both of whom are descendants of the legendary Spartan Leonidas.

After choosing your character, we see a younger version of them fleeing Sparta due to some “difficult circumstances” which leads on to a new life as a glorified mercenary. On the remote island of Kephallonia, we start of completing a bunch of odd jobs that culminate with Kassandra getting pulled back into the conflicts of Greece revealing an underground cult who seek to run the nations politic and thus the main story-line begins.

As ever these ancient events are being viewed by a modern day character, Layla Hassan who some might remember from the previous Origins title. Anyway this time she is using the DNA- reading Animus to see events through the eyes of Kassandra in hopes of finding artifacts belonging to the Isu, an extinct race of powerful precursors who ruled Earth before humanity. As ever with Assassins Creed games we don’t hear much of this part of the story again for a long time. As a result you would almost be forgiven for thinking that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has no connection to the older games. I found this quite liberating as this is now the most accessible game in the series by which I mean you wouldn’t have had to have played the previous titles to enjoy this game to it’s fullest.

Action with consequence

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OK, this is cool. Unlike previous games, decisions you make in dialogue and with the in game action has actual consequences in your story. Whether that’s inciting a rebellion, doing the nasty with a few willing civilians or making the decision to save or kill your own father these decisions will change the course of the game and your future interactions throughout.

While most of the decisions you make are based around the vast array of side quests it’s a very interesting feature for a game of this sheer size.

Explore Ancient Greece

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In a world so beautifully crafted you really want to virtually travel the ancient nation and that’s why the new ‘exploration’ the world a lot more immersive. Exploration mode is turned on by default and you will recieve vague directions to objectives so you can head away and find everything by yourself. Speaking to the locals, completing side missions or scouting the world with your eagle, Ikaros, will help you get the information you require to find what you are looking for. Sure you can turn this feature off and have everything layed out for you but where’s the fun in that, right?

If you have the dedication and patience it’s a fun feature that will enable you to see the world how you wish while you go about the game in a manner that suits you best.

Main Story

Oddly, the main story in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has received mixed reviews with some calling it disjointed or confusing, but I disagree. True to the Assassin’s Creed narrative, you get to rub shoulders with the biggest names in Greece and while it’s done at a frantic pace I loved the idea of getting up close with legends of lore in the shape of Spartan kings and members of the Athenian society.

Personally they could have improved pacing which would have meant getting more time to get invested in and appreciate the characters. Then again it’s a minor complaint as with the hours of game play available you can forgive Ubisoft for wanting to speed things up a little bit. Even with these pacing problems the main story line is gripping and you will feel invested in your characters journey.

Another aspect of the main story I found interesting was the fact that the leveling system actually comes into play. If you have Kassandra at level 9 and the main mission recommends being level 12 to complete you will get your arse handed to you if you decide to throw caution to the wind and go for it anyway. These level gaps essentially force you to go and complete the side missions to develop your characters skills and weaponry thus increasing playing time and combating the frantic nature of the main story. Well played Ubisoft as many games make side missions optional and while in Odyssey they remain optional, best of luck getting through the main story without them.

New Mercenary System

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In Origins we saw a mercenary system consisting of 10 incredibly powerful b**tards who wanted to murder you, this time we something a little bit different. In Odyssey what we get is 39 new mercenaries who wander the realm. If you cause too much hassle for the locals your bounty level will increase meaning these hired killers will come looking for you to collect the price on your head.

Oh and going back to the leveling system, each of these mercenaries have a level and fighting one above your pay grade will never end well. Trust me I tried. Literally I went for a wander one evening at level 12 and stumbled upon a level 35 merc. Two simple swiped later and I was toast. It’s kind of like a food chain in a sense, your job is to keep leveling up, remove all other pawns off the table to become the top dog. It’s actually quite similar to Shadows of Mordor in this sense that in order to make the game easier you need to get these guys out of the way but in order to do so you need to keep leveling up and causing trouble which brings them all out of the wood work. A fun added feature which really does bring something extra to the game.

Fight like a Spartan

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Throughout the game Athenian and Spartan armies are at war to gain control. When either faction is in power you are able to totally destabilise their camp by burning supplies and killing captians. Once you have done enough damage to their base camp these Conquest Battles open up. Here you can enlist on either side in return for some high powered gear.

These Conquest Battles are mighty craic, literally hundreds of soldiers take to a field for an all out brawl. It’s a serious last man standing challenge with so many enemies to take down without dying yourself and this task can be made even harder. Remember those mercenaries I mentioned, well the other side can enlist one of these to try and take you down. Sure these can be difficult activities to complete but it’s in these moments where the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey combat system really comes to the fore.

If you have ever played an Assassin’s Creed game then you will know the basic mechanics. What Ubisoft have added here is not unlike the toggle wheel system Spider-man has where you select you abilities and special attacks. This gives you a rake of cool extras to use in combat from the big Spartan boot kick to unleashing a rain of arrows, carpet bombing style on your enemies. As with any game it wouldn’t be fair to just have all your abilities unlocked as a given so unlock more throughout the game by leveling up. Again when in combat use normal attacks to build up your adrenaline, once full you can pick your special attack. Simple fighting mechanics that have been honed over years of game development comes together to create a fun combat control system. It seems like this game more so than anything else in the Assassin’s Creed series, focused on combat over stealth. Good because everyone knows kamikaze fighting is far more entertaining than skulking in the shadows.

Honestly I can’t tell you how many times I used the Spartan kick ability and shouted the obvious – “This is Spartaaaaa!”

Killer Cult

In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey we see the Cult of Kosmos, the group who tore Kassandra’s family apart. 44 cultists that you have to hunt across the length and breadth of the games huge map. While this might sound difficult and unnecessary alongside the main story it’s actually a really immersive part of Odyssey. As part of the main storyline you will unmask some of the underground cult but the rest you have to go out and find all by yourself. This is done by completing small side quests, scouting the world for clues and reading stolen letters to figure out each members location.

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Fans of older Assassin’s Creed games can rejoice as this keeps stealth controls as a big part of the game play. To find one of the cultists you will need to use Ikaros to scout for likely locations while another requires you to destabilize two heavily guarded Athenian island to draw out your target. Stealthy infiltration and sneaking around heavily guarded forts is the order of the day unless you have a death wish.

The Goosed Verdict

Well I had great craic, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of those games that leaves you wanting more…even after 50 hours of playing. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is not just another Assassin’s Creed title, tying together action, stealth and mercenaries into a brilliant RPG who’s sheer size and style truly brings Ancient Greece to life.

Sure the main elements are largely unchanged (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it sure) but with the new open dynamic you have more freedom to play the game how you want with your in game decisions having actual consequences. As with any game of this size you will have to bust through some filler content and the occasional glitch, which can be annoying, especially after flying through the uber-slick Spider-man. However this is only a minor complaint, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of the most compelling games I have played this year and it 100% lands in my personal top 5 games for 2018.

If you are a fan of Assassin’s Creed games, get on this right away. If the series isn’t normally your thing but you like the sounds of an epic adventure through Ancient Greece set in glorious detail and a mental amount of content to get through then this is the game for you.

The Haunting of Hill House

Dean
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The Haunting of Hill House

Every couple of months it seems like Netflix bring out a new series that takes the world by storm. And this is exactly what has happened with their newest horror series “The Haunting of Hill House”. This isn’t the first time Shirley Jackson’s famous novel has been adapted, but it is arguably the best one yet. Director Mike Flanagan tells a story that its full of spooks, heart and emotion that not only gets you on the side of the protagonists, but also makes you empathise with the ghosts that haunt the Crain family.

What are you in for?

The ten episode series tells the story of the Crain children now in adulthood who are haunted by the events that occurred in Hill House as children. As the series goes on, each episode becomes more intense when the Crain children are brought back together after a tragedy. When they are reunited, we watch each of their stories and how the ghosts of Hill House have left their mark on each of them.

However, it seems that as time went on, the family has drifted. The eldest, Steven, a writer who has made a living off a book about their experiences as children in the house has a broken relationship with his siblings. His sister Elizabeth, a mortician, has grown to resent him as Steven claims never to have actually seen anything in the house and blames it on metal illness they inherited from their mother, yet writes about it in his book. Elizabeth lives with her sister, Theo who is a psychologist but also possesses a unique power that the other seem to be in denial about. And there are the twins, Kevin, a recovering heroin addict. And Ellie, a newlywed who is drawn back to the house and kicks the series into gear from the get go.

“Hill House has no shortage of jump scares, but by no means relies on them.”

The success Shirley Jackson’s most successful novel speaks for itself, but Flanagans dialogue, cinematography and acting gives us a horror series we haven’t had in awhile, or ever. Over the past few years we have had The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Stranger Things. All decent horrors series in their own right, but not edge of your seat, nail biting, hair raising horror. We only ever seem to get this on the big screen. And even then, most horrors these days rely on cheap jump scares. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good jump scare. It makes horrors enjoyable and usually breaks the tension. And Hill House has no shortage of jump scares, but it by no means relies on them.

“This is where the real genius of Flanagan’s horror comes from. Not every ghost has to make you scream.”

Throughout the series we see ghosts and faces in the background and in corners of the room that are often missed. But when you do see these faces in situations when you’re not supposed to be scared, they make your whole body clench up tighter than a ducks butt hole. Almost like adding enough salt to a dish that it doesn’t change it, but enough to know its there. This is where the real genius of Flanagan’s horror comes from. Not every ghost has to make you scream,  just enough to send a chill down your spine. You can never seem to relax while watching Hill House as it keeps you glued to the screen.

Carla Gugino’s performance itself is amazing. Portraying the Crain children’s mother, Olivia Crain, Gugino shows us Olivia’s slow descent into madness as the ghosts take over her mind. This is the second time Gugino and Flanagan have worked together for a Netflix original the first being Stephen King’s adaption of Gerald’s Game, which we would also recommend. We expect both of them to pick up awards for Hill House and deservedly so. And hopefully this isn’t the last time we see Mike Flanagan team up with Gugino as they seem to have a flare for horror.

Between the horror, anxiety, emotion and beauty of this series, it is set to go down as a Netflix classic. We finally have a good horror series that scares you more and more every episode but you can’t stop watching. It is the perfect treat for the halloween season and we give it a solid 5/5.

Bohemian Rhapsody: A Biopic Worthy of Royalty

Gary
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Bohemian Rhapsody: A Biopic Worthy of Royalty

Ever since watching the trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody, everyone at Goosed has been waiting its release. The day finally arrived, and it was worth waiting for.

The Plot

When we think of Queen, the general thoughts are of gut wrenching guitar solos, big rock anthems and Brian May’s fabulous hair. And while Bohemian Rhapsody has all of this and more, it is at it’s heart, the story of Freddie Mercury, and his sometimes strained relationship with the other band members.

Spoiler Alert!

The movie starts off following Mercury on his way to the stage at Live Aid in 1985, giving you a sense that the movie is building to this point. Rewinding 15 years, it picks up with Mercury meeting future band mates Brian May and Roger Taylor after a college gig. It has all the characteristics of a feel god movie at this point, using some sharp humour to explore the creativity of Queen. There’s even a subtle tip of the cap to one of the most iconic movie scenes of the 1990’s. Bonus points if you can spot it during the movie.

From there, the movie moves quickly through the bands history, right through to when Mercury decides to quit Queen and go solo. Here, Bohemian Rhapsody takes a noticeably darker turn, touching on Mercury’s struggles with his sexuality, and his descent into a world of drugs, promiscuity and ultimately, isolation. Redemption eventually comes with the help of the “love of his life”, who continues to stand by him throughout.

The Cast

Rami Malek, known for his role in HBO’s World War 2 series The Pacific, is in the lead role for Bohemian Rhapsody. He delivers a performance that is worthy of Freddie Mercury himself, becoming the showman when on stage, and equally acting the role as the problematic, troubled soul with a massive ego. He is well backed by Lucy Boynton, Joseph Mazzello (the kid from Jurassic Park) and Ben Hardy (of Eastenders fame). Aiden Gillen plays the bands manager in the early part of the movie. Unfortunately, it’s hard not to imagine him as Little Finger throughout.

Verdict

Overall, Bohemian Rhapsody lives up to the expectation that came with the trailer. As with other biopic movies, such as Ray and Walk the Line, it covers the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen, but doesn’t shy away from the seedier side of his life. There is plenty of humour throughout, combined with some genuine heart felt moments. And of course, there are some quite epic performances from Malek and co. If you can stop yourself pounding your feet when We Will Rock You is on, you’re better than I am.

A really well made movie that you will enjoy, even if you’re not a fan of Queen.

Sony Xperia XZ3 Review: Specs, Features and Pricing

Jon
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Sony Xperia XZ3 Review: Specs, Features and Pricing

2018, the year the smartphone industry got interesting again. Over the last couple of days/weeks Martin has been test running the latest big shots in the form of the Google Pixel 3 XL and the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Yes, they are great phones ready to compete against the Apple’s and Samsung’s of the world but aren’t we missing one of the main competitors in the race to be crowed top dog? Sony… one of the major forces in the tech world. As a company Sony have cornered the TV, gaming and camera industries with ease and while their smartphones haven’t been able to recreate the companies success, it’s probably only a matter of time until they crack the code. And that’s exactly why the new Xperia XZ3 could be the surprise smash hit this year.

I personally have been using the impressive Samsung Galaxy S8 as my day to day phone for awhile now and I haven’t had much reason to really look for a change…Until now. Over the last couple of weeks I have been using the latest flagship from Sony, the Xperia XZ3 and I must say it’s by far Sony’s most impressive phone to date. So let’s take a look…

The Sony Conundrum

Before I get into the good stuff let me take a moment to get this one big gripe of my chest. Sony make really high quality products. Every single model they release has a spec sheet that is comparable if not better than most of the competition. The big problem for the Japanese manufacturers is simple…they release far too many phones. In their pursuit to gain a credible market share and to have the most powerful smartphone on the market at any point in time, Sony are releasing a new phone every 6 months. Apple for example really only release a new product every two years with the interim S models containing only slight under the hood tweaks while Samsung are operating in a very similar manner. This means from product to product we can see huge strides in innovation making their phones far more intriguing to most users. Beyond that, moving to an annual release means that brands like Apple and Samsung are spending more time tweaking their new toy to perfection before release whereas Sony are constantly working on the fly. The Xperia XZ3 is a well crafted phone with great specs, an amazing display but the problem for a customer will be this.. if I get a Samsung on a two year contract, by the time they are ready for an upgrade they are only one model behind but with Sony there have been four new releases. If Sony move on to an annual release I’m telling you this for a fact, they will be a huge force to be reckoned with. Anyway onto the good stuff.

Sleek Design

 

From the moment you open the box it’s hard not to be impressed by the Xperia XZ3. To be fair to Sony they have made huge strides in their design over the last number of years and once again we have a phone that delivers sexy appeal in spades. Just look for yourself.

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It feels almost sacrilege to put something this good looking in a case but we would highly recommend it. With a high gloss finish and a curved shape on the front and rear of the phone we would imagine this would be quite susceptible to scratching. To give the Xperia XZ3 credit it’s a sturdy smartphone – due to the high gloss finish I find the phone a bit slippy in the hand (hence getting the case) but having dropped it a couple of times I can say that the polished frame has not picked up a single ding or scratch. This is as a result of the Gorrilla Glass 5 that the display and body are made from.

Just in terms of design alone, at 9.9mm thick and weighing in at 193g the Xperia XZ3 is not what you would class as a slender or light phone. Not that is matters one bit, thanks to its tapered design it still feels elegant and comfortable to hold.

On the rear of the phone you will notice the single lens camera mounted in the centre line about a third of the way down the body with the fingerprint scanner just below. The placement of both have been up for debate on the last couple of releases from Sony and to be honest I struggle to understand the reasoning for placing the finger print scanner in such a location. My stubby fingers mean I regularly put my fingertip over the camera lens, leading to smudges which isn’t ideal. Having said that the scanner itself is very quick and accurate so just on a personal note if the camera position and fingerprint scanner were slightly higher up the phone it would be perfect.

Other highlights in the Xperia XZ3 design include a SIM card/microSD card tray that can be removed without a pin and a physical camera button which is always a nice touch. I also enjoy the fact this is probably the only flagship phone I have seen without “The Notch” but they have gone with the crowd and removed the 3.5mm headphone jack which might not be to everyone’s taste but they Sony do supply the 3.5mm to USB-C dongle in the box.

In summary, move the fingerprint scanner and you have possibly the most attractive phone I have seen on the market this year. That’s before we even look at the best part.

TV Quality Display

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Here’s where things get very interesting, the screen is essentially a shrunken down version of their Sony Bravia TV which is incredible considering over the last few years Sony have taken a bit of stick for their display quality. Not anymore! Sony has gone OLED and it’s a real game changer for the brand.

The OLED display delivers deeper blacks and supports HDR for better contrast and more lifelike colours. Watching a YouTube clip alongside my Samsung Galaxy S8 an iPhone X and the Sony Xperia XZ2 it’s hard not to pick the XZ3. I would be willing to put a wager on with Martin the screen on this piece of kit will trump anything he has been testing with the Pixel and Mate hands down. Why? simply this display is just that good, vibrant colours, deep blacks and fine details, it’s the best screen I have seen on smartphone to date.

The reason it’s the best display on the market, the XZ3 also gives you resolution options that no other phone on the market supports right now, up to 1440p, 60fps in HDR, with the Note 9 only going up to 1080p with HDR and the iPhone not even specifying HDR at this moment in time.

But that’s not all…. if you go into the setting on the Xperia XZ3 you will notice there are a bunch of options to improve video enhancements which will take effect across all main video applications not just the camera. Don’t be shocked if we see Apple doing business with Sony in the future to create the next generation of future iPhone displays.

Sont company has finally bridged the gap between its not-quite-sharp-enough Full HD flagships of old and its overkill 4K Premium series. Couple this with HDR upscaling, Sony’s TRILUMINOS Display for mobile, X-Reality, and Dynamic Contrast Enhancer you really get a display that works in tandem with the XZ3 design to produce the best smartphone display on the market.

Battery Power

I might not have been totally honest coming into this.. I am a bit of a Sony fan. Back in the day when working in the old phone shop I sported the Xperia Z1 through to the Z3. Even since those days the battery on Sony phones has been something to admire, with the new Xperia XZ3 being no exception. At a whopping 3,3300mAh this is the biggest battery Sony have wedged into a phone but with a bigger display to handle the question was, would it last the day?

I decided to give the Xperia XZ3 a proper test, go a full day start to finish without a top up charge and see how long it lasted. Now obviously it couldn’t be a normal day, I really wanted to see what the Sony was made off. From waking up at 7:30am to putting down a full work day, heading to the airport, flying to London and finding my hotel by 10pm, the XZ3 held up amazingly well. Using Instagram, Spotify, Acast and Maps throughout the day and with the help of the extremely handy Stamina mode that kicks in on the last 15%, we made it to the hotel that night with just 3% left in the tank. Well played Sony, well played.

That’s a serious heavy workload for any phone so if you just use your phone for the normal everyday stuff, the XZ3 will easily clear the day. Unless you watch a lot of video, then you might want to pack a powerbank just to be safe.

Camera Quality

Main/Rear Camera

Who ever thought we would see the day where we have to define that the camera on the back of the phone is the “main” one. Guess that’s the selfie loving world we live in now. Anyway the XZ3 is equipped with the same 19MP f/2.0 that the original XZ1 model sports but while the spec might look the same, rest assured the camera in the XZ3 is much better.

In the Xperia XZ3, Sony have streamlined their user interface which means less swiping to change between the different modes. Better again the frequently used settings are always shown on the screen so you spend less time fiddling about while prepping your shot. While the UI is much better, image quality is also greatly improved vs the previous models. Showing off better clarity, low-light performance and dynamic range the XZ3 feels like a brand new camera.

The new Google Pixel and Huawei Mate just edge the new Sony in terms of overall camera performance thanks solely to their dynamic range and detail. That’s not to say the XZ3 is a bad camera, honestly it’s by far the best camera Sony have produced just if the main camera is the main reason you buy a phone then there are better available.

Selfie Cam

I’m not the biggest man for selfies in the world as most front facing android cameras have a habit of showing of my many chins but again the Sony Xperia XZ3 managed to exceed expectations. With a souped up 13MP camera with a wide 23mm equivalent lens and improved digital stabilization means selfies have never looked this good.
Luckily for me Sony have integrated a beauty mode that will brighten you eyes and slim down your face (goodbye chins!!). Alternatively if you happen to be one of them pretty people you can turn this feature off for more natural looking pics or you can use the bokeh mode too blur out the background to make that strong jawline pop even more. I showed this to my rather pretty housemate and he might have lost himself in the lens for longer than either of us would care to admit. So all around big seal of approval for the front facing camera on the XZ3.

Video

Now this is where Sony really comes into its own. The XZ3 digital stabilization will work incredibly well in good lighting, while the 4K HDR footage is just a joy to behold.

This is another area I would happily put the Sony up against any of the competition and fully expect it to come out on top. The dynamic range on video is far better than any of the competition when viewed on a compatible HDR screen which means if you’re a video buff and your willing to put in the time to get the best results then no other phone on the market is going to come close to the Xperia XZ3. Put it like this, there is no other phone on the market at all that can capture 960fps in Full HD slow motion. If video is your thing then forget the competition because there is none.

Side Sense

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This shall be dubbed the Marmite feature because you are either going to love or hate it, there is no middle ground. In the XZ3 we see a new way of enabling one-handed use of the long 6inch display. It’s called Side Sense.

I thought it was quite interesting, double tap either side of the screen and you get this quick menu to access the applications you use the most. It’s very similar to what we saw on the Samsung Note Edge in a way but here Side Sense has a back button that can be activated by swiping up or down on the edge of the display. Quick access to your most used bits and pieces can be cool but it’s not for everyone. If you accidently do the swipe motion on the corner of the display then Side Sense will pop up exactly like it should but I can see how some people might be bothered by this. Grand, if you don’t like it just hop into the settings and turn it off. Personally I found it useful as although I have about 101 apps installed on my phone there are only about 6 that get used on a regular basis.

Sony Xperia XZ3 Spec Sheet

Xperia XZ3

Google Pixel 3

Size

 158 x 73 x 9.9 mm 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9 mm

Display Size

 6 inches 5.5 inches

Weight

 193g 148g

Protection

 IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)

SIM

 Nano Nano and eSim

Display Type

 pOLED QHD+
(2880 x 1440) HDR display4
• TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile		 P-OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours

Operating System

 Android 9 Android 9

Internal Memory

 64GB 64GB or 128GB

Expandable

 Yes, micro SD upto 512GB No

RAM

 4GB 4GB

Main Camera

 19MP 12MP

Selfie Camera

 13MP 2 x 8MP

Cable Type

 USB C USB C

Headphone Jack

 No No

Battery

 3330 mAh 2915 mAh

 

I’m just going on a hunch here but I reckon that the Google Pixel 3 and the Sony Xperia XZ3 here are both going to be slugging it out for market share and as you can see from the above the two are way to close to call. The main differences in Sony’s favour really surround the battery, display quality and the expandable memory. The only thing that could affect Sony is a perception that the software is “buggy” which might put of potential customers. The XZ3 has shown zero problems on that front and I would happily move over to this as my day to day phone without hesitation.

Pricing and Availability

Right now you can get the Sony Xperia XZ3 directly from the manufacturer for €799 or from Three for €579.99 on prepay or on the Ultimate Flex Max €60 per month contract with an upfront cost of €79.99.

Three have managed to get the exclusive launch access so once pricing becomes available on the remaining networks we will update the pricing here.

The Verdict

The Sony Xperia XZ3 is almost perfect. This is by far the best phone Sony have produced and by God it’s a true beauty to behold. It’s sleek, sturdy and the screen quality is downright gobsmacking. Personally I wasn’t a fan of the fingerprint scanner placement but that’s really a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things.

Realistically the new Google Pixel and Huawei Mate 20 Pro are taking the plaudits right now as the new players in the game, but don’t rule out Sony just yet. Between the incredible OLED display and the 4K HDR video capture, Sony have made a phone that is ready to step up and join Google and Huawei in the race to knock the big boys of the top. Should you buy it? It’s really a matter of taste and what’s you prioritize in a phone, I personally like Sony and anyone like me should definitely consider their latest edition. If your not a big Sony fan but you enjoy watching YouTube or Netflix on your phone, then this could be the one for you.

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