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Mastercard Outage: Anything VISA Can Do They Can Do Better

Marty
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Mastercard Outage: Anything VISA Can Do They Can Do Better

Mastercard has suffered what appears to be a worldwide outage of card services this evening. This comes just weeks after VISA suffered a similar fate.

What Happens To Your Card During an Outage

Imagine the scene. After a long day at the office, a quick trip to the physio on the walk home, I stop into Dunnes on Stephen’s Green. I needed to pick up some peppered steaks and a couple of cans of Brew Dog, for little more reason than I can. Typically, I tap my P20 Pro against card machines at least twice a day thanks to Google Pay; I nearly never use my card any more.

The payment failed so I tapped again. Failed. Switched between Debit and Credit cards on Google Pay; failed. Ugh. I reluctantly pulled out my card and tapped that, before eventually sliding it into the machine and typing my pin. Failed, failed, failed. What the hell. Thankfully, I had one more card up my sleeve; Revolut. Nada, ah jaysus. Out to the ATM and both my KBC and Revolut cards wouldn’t let me withdraw cash.

There was only one thing left to do; check Twitter for Mastercard. Sure enough, the first tweet I found was from Revolut:

What Happened to Mastercard?

I have to admit, it’s a worrying experience when your cards let you down completely. I’m a fan of Doomsday Preppers, just for the lols, but suddenly you start to realise how lost you are when you never carry cash. VISA described their recent outage as “a hardware failure” and that they had “no reason to believe this was associated with any unauthorised access or malicious event”. Mastercard has yet to comment officially on the outage beyond acknowledging it happened:

I reached out to Mastercard who said:

“a scheduled system update caused Mastercard transactions to be declined for a brief period of time earlier yesterday. The situation has been resolved and all systems are working as normal. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

They also confirmed this has no connection to the recent VISA outage.

What is the Impact of this Outage?

Mastercard suffering an outage simply isn’t as massive a deal as VISA going down. KBC is the only bank who primarily depend upon Mastercard along with some digital disrupters like Revolut and N26. As a result, the impact is going to be minimal. For example, I was in a busy city centre grocery store and I was the first to tell them Mastercard was down – they may have still just thought I was a broke ass dude.

To be honest, it didn’t even light up Google Trends. Let’s be honest, as I recently pointed out in the Sunday Times, very few people are using Revolut or N26 as their primary bank accounts and an even smaller segment, like me, are KBC along with Revolut or N26. Chances are, most people either carry cash and just paid with that or they had a VISA card from another bank.

Most importantly, it would appear that the outage didn’t go on for too long and has been completely resolved by now.

How to Avoid Embarrassment During an Outage?

The most important step I took was going back to the cashier to tell her that Mastercard was down. There was now a slightly smaller chance she thought I was just broke.

There was now a slightly smaller chance she thought I was just broke

A slightly more practical solution is to always carry cash. Will I carry cash from now on? Probably not if I’m totally honest, but it’s great advice to slip a tenner in between your phone and its case, even if I won’t do it myself.

Huawei P20 Pro Review: There’s a New Android King in Town

Marty
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0
Huawei P20 Pro Review: There’s a New Android King in Town

I can still remember a time where Huawei (pronounced wah-way) phones were the knockaround phones you gave kids. I used to make a living from selling them. You could practically feel your finger sinking into the plastic screen. They weren’t bad phones mind, but they were cheap as chips and didn’t apologise for it. The Chinese manufacturer brought out a few premium handsets over the years and the Huawei P8 showed early signs that a serious flagship challenger was on the way.

I’ve been handed a Huawei P20 Pro to test out and I couldn’t fight the urge to do something a little weird, well weird for me. I put my SIM straight into it without hesitating. Here’s what using the Huawei P20 Pro has been like for the past month.

What’s the Difference Between the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro?

It has become quite common for smartphone manufacturers to release a top of the line smartphone along with an even more top of the line smartphone. For years, Samsung had the Galaxy range and the Note range and this kind of started it all. There were a few Galaxy Mini smartphones and Apple tried to make the iPhone SE a popular choice, but really people wanted great smartphones and then really great smartphones. In 2014, Apple launched the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, making this the new standard.

Earlier this year Huawei launched the P20 and promised the P20 Pro too; the latter is the only one I’ve managed to test but it’s incredible.

Camera: The P20 Pro’s Camera Is Stunning

To be quite honest, I’d happily start and finish this P20 Pro review discussing the P20 Pro camera. It’s sublime. I was swapping over to the Huawei from my Samsung Galaxy Note8; a phone I’m fairly smitten with to be fair and a phone that’s got a gorgeous camera. The P20 Pro camera absolutely wipes the floor with it.

How Many Lenses Does One Need?

Why do I love the Note8 camera so much? Live Focus is class. This gives you that blurry background bokeh effect that makes your shots look world class. It works so well because the Note8 has two lenses taking two pictures; one near and one far. Then after some overlapping and blurring, the shot’s done.

The Huawei P20 Pro has three lenses. Dual camera is slowly becoming the accepted norm, featuring on the Note8 and Galaxy S9+ and iPhone Plus phones, but triple cameras is revolutionary. I’d say it’s complete madness only for it’s sheer genius from Huawei.

huawei P20 pro triple camera

Regardless of lighting conditions, the triple lenses always seem to capture the moment; something smartphones are often lacking. The amount of times I’ve been left saying “of you just can’t capture what it really looks like” has been greatly reduced thanks to the P20 Pro. The additional telephoto lens means you have an impressive three-time and five-time hardware zoom – digital zoom is terrible, never use it! Here’s an example of those three telephoto lenses doing their thing in Dublin City:

Zoom test on the #P20Pro

A post shared by goosed.ie (@goosed_ie) on Jun 27, 2018 at 10:31am PDT

More Camera Than Most Will Need

If you are a bit of a photography nerd, the native camera app offers a massive range of shooting options one of which is reserved purely for the P20 Pro itself; Pro mode. Here, you can change a massive range of photo capturing settings, but don’t worry. If it all gets a bit too much, the camera app also has built-in AI which detects what it is your trying to take a picture of and optimises settings to get the best shot. Slip the phone into Portrait Mode and you won’t have to worry about anything at all. Just point and shoot while in Portrait mode and you’ll get a stylish shot that looks fantastic.

Aperture Mode gives you that shot that’s become incredibly popular. Some call it bokeh, others call it “that shot where the background is blurry”. Here’s an example of that in action from when I visited Bloom:

So, while three lenses might seem like madness, the P20 Pro camera far surpasses the Note8 camera for me and is right up there with the DSLR I sometimes carry around. When you factor in the fact you can slip this into your pocket, you realise just how powerful a camera this is – by far the best smartphone camera on the market.

Video, Audio and Slow-mo

The P20 Pro also captures great video and audio to boot. When combined with a smartphone video gimbal, you can start seeing just why mobile filmmaking has become such a massive industry. Slow motion is also growing in popularity and features as a video shooting mode. I’d rank the Huawei P20 Pro Slow-mo mode behind that of the Sony Xperia XZ2 and OnePlus, but ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S9.

Design: The P20 Pro’s Notch Isn’t That Bad

Right, so I’ve completely sold you on the camera and now I just casually drop in the fact the P20 Pro has a notch. In this portion of the article, I’m going to digest a large portion of humble pie. Apple introduced the iPhone X last year and with it came some pretty bold design feature; a notch in the top of the screen. Apple has the power to change an industry and sure enough, notches started to appear on phones all over MWC 2018. Rather surprisingly, it’s become increasingly apparent that Google has followed suit and at least one of the new Pixel 3 smartphones will also feature a notch. This is a feature which at first glance just seems to be piss-poor design.

huawei p20 pro notch

The P20 and P20 Pro also have notches and here comes the shocking part. It’s fine. To be completely honest, you don’t even notice it. In fact, you can kind of turn off the notch in settings which puts a black bar across the top of the screen. Personally, I think it’s silly to give up this reclaimed screen area to the point where I’m starting to feel like I may have overreacted to the notch design in the early days. Kinda like how I reacted to removing the headphone jack; another humble pie I tucked into.

While I’m on this subject, the P20 Pro also does not feature a headphone jack, just a USB-C port; that’s it. You get a dongle in the box if you really want to use your wired headphones, but otherwise, it really is time to consider getting a decent set of wireless headphones; something I’m currently reviewing – watch this space.

The One Tiny Gripe I Have With the P20 Pro

The only strange decision, and possibly only criticism I have on the P20 Pro, is the lingering home button at the bottom of the screen. The iPhone X went all out on making the front of the phone screen. Huawei did this for the top of the P20 Pro, but not the bottom making it feel a little unfinished.

huawei p20 pro home button

Now, I’m no engineer and I’m sure there’s plenty of reason why this design decision was arrived at. Regardless, it’s the wrong decision. I’m left wondering just how incredible the P20 Pro would have looked should the front be all screen. Couldn’t that button have gone to the side, or better still to the side like Sony of days gone by? I’m sure the charging port and speakers need that extra space, but it’s just such a pity Huawei fell at the final hurdle of achieving almost full frontal.

Memory and Storage

Huawei decided stuff 6GB of RAM 128GB of internal storage into the P20 Pro along with an octa-core processor. It’s important to note that the 128GB of storage is not expandable. For many, however, it’s plenty of memory right? Just bear in mind that this thing shoots incredible shots and so uses up memory a little faster than most, especially if you’re shooting a lot of slow-motion video which eats up storage space.

The Best Android to Move To From iPhone?

I spotted something a couple of years ago. I think it was the Huawei P8, but I noticed how heavily influenced the Chinese company was by Apple. Everything seemed to be an Android version of Apple, from icon styles and wallpapers through to how the screens flowed. To be completely honest, it’s a collection of small bits and pieces that make the P20 Pro feel like an iPhone, right down to the folders that store apps.

Whether or not this is enough to attract some iPhone users to move to Android or not is a bit of an unknown but last year, for a brief period, Huawei actually overtook Apple as the world’s second-biggest smartphone manufacturer. The P20 Pro certainly looks like an iPhone X in parts but you’ll not be spending the ludicrous kind of money to get the same, if not better, quality.

Battery

Huawei certainly hasn’t held back on the battery side of things either. Lawdy Lawd, the battery on this phone is incredible. My Note8 has wireless charging and I have strategic wireless chargers dotted around the place so I nearly never see my phone below 50% power.

The P20 Pro doesn’t have wireless charging and that doesn’t matter one bit. The 4000 mAh battery is an absolute beast. Because the camera is so good, I’m constantly shooting stuff and I’m certainly using the P20 Pro more than I would have my Note8. After a full day out and about with it, the battery was still sitting pretty at 45%. I’ve never seen anything like it! Coupled with some smart software that warns you of background apps hogging your juice and dynamic brightness benefitting both your battery life and your eyes, I’m wagering the Huawei P20 Pro has the best battery life to usage ratio on the market.

It’s a true full day battery. Hooray!

The P20 Pro Has Some Other Bits Hidden Away Too

As you might expect from a Chinese manufacturer, the Huawei P20 Pro as some other neat little features squirrelled away too.

IR Blaster

It’s not as exciting as it sounds, but the P20 Pro has an IR blaster! Earlier I said the home button might be covering up some extra space for the charge port and speaker, but the fact this thing has an IR blaster is making a mockery of smartphone design altogether. Don’t get me wrong, I love having it built in and it means I can use the P20 Pro as a remote control for the TV and Sky box all at once. The hilarious thing is the phone itself doesn’t even come with a smart remote app installed. A bizarre move from Huawei but one I’ll be taking advantage of for sure.

Gestures

Screen gestures are also impressive on the P20 Pro. Hold two thumbs on the screen to search for products through Amazon. A simple knock of a single knuckle on the screen takes a screenshot. Knock two knuckles and you’ll start recording your screen too. The simple things that make me happy!

Even More Camera Goodness

There are a few camera modes I didn’t go into earlier too. Some of them are pretty standard like a monochrome camera for capturing quality black and white shots and high dynamic range shooting mode. More unusual is the long exposure modes which let you try out light drawing. Basically, you shoot in pitch black darkness and using a torch, draw words or shapes in the night. It’s tough to get right, but with a bit of practice, you’ll get the hang of it. You can also use long exposure shooting to get cool shots of traffic at night, where the brake lights create gorgeous streams of light.

Huawei P20 Pro Verdict and Pricing

The age of Samsung and Apple being the only smartphones you have to choose from if you want top quality are behind us. The Huawei P20 Pro is arguably the pinnacle of Android Smartphones on the market right now. There. I said it. That’s a bold statement right? I still love my Note8 but I’ve not looked back for the best part of a month since starting to use the P20 Pro and I’m not sure I will go back.

I’ve started looking at the Samsung Galaxy S9 and it’s just meh. Smartphones have been ‘meh’ for years now. The Note8 excited me with a few mad features, but beyond that Apple and Samsung are just going through their paces. Huawei, and other Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, seem to have built up their strength and are now ready to take on the Irish markets, along with the wider EU.

The Huawei P20 Pro gives me hope that exciting smartphones aren’t a thing of the past. I’ve shot pictures and videos using the P20 Pro which people immediately ask me to share with them. The P20 Pro is a special smartphone which gives you incredible bang for your buck.

I honestly believe the P20 Pro is rubbing shoulders with the Apple iPhone X. It’s just too similar in terms of looks and spec not to be and it really holds it’s own too. On Three’s €60 per month plan, an iPhone X will set you back at least €569 and that’s with 64GB less memory! The P20 Pro on the same plan costs just €239. If you’re more into your SIM only, alternatively, you can jump onto Amazon.co.uk and grab the P20 Pro for around €750.

All of this leaves me with a few questions. If you’ve been thinking of jumping from Apple to Android, what are you waiting for? If you’re upgrading a Samsung, have you even considered Huawei? Leave your preconceptions at the door because the smartphone market isn’t about to be shaken up, it already has been.

huawei p20 pro

 

The Crew 2 Review: Nationwide Madness

Marty
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0
The Crew 2 Review: Nationwide Madness

The Crew 2 is in many ways, like the original game was, highly ambitious. But does is this a game you should rush out to buy or wait a while to see it on the second-hand rack in GameStop? Here’s my review of The Crew 2.

What is The Crew 2 About?

The whole premise of the game is pretty thin. You’re a stunt-racing driver capable of driving, flying and, ehm…boating, flat out. Fly close to the ground or barrel roll your plan, jump your boat and drift your car through race courses to win yourself more followers, the ultimate goal of The Crew 2. You’re building a virtual influencer brand for yourself and the crazier and faster you drive, the more followers you gain.

Honestly, in terms of story that’s about it and that’s without going into the terrible dialogue and weird characters you meet along the way. But to be fair, we’re not here for Oscar Winning scripts, we’re here for fun and fun you get.

When you’re not competing, you can enjoy what is definitely the best part of The Crew 2; the incredible map.

The Crew 2 Map

I’ve played some pretty expansive maps in my time. Immediately, the likes of Fallout, Far Cry 5 or even, to a lesser extent, GTA 5 comes to mind. The Crew 2 blows them all out of the water. Why? The lunatics went and squeezed the entire continental United States of America into the game. Now, let’s get one thing out of the way; it’s scaled down. To drive across the US would take at least 48 hours – emphasis on the ‘at least’ there. In The Crew 2 you can barrel across the country in under an hour, depending on your motor, of course, another highlight of the game.

Cars of The Crew 2

There are a whopping 220 cars to drive in The Crew 2. While I’m devastated there’s no Kia C’eed to pick from, that’s a mighty impressive selection of motors. If you have the collector gene it also gives the game a great lifespan too.

On top of that, have 27 motorbikes, 11 boats, 16 plans and a helicopter to pick from. Despite all that choice, however, The Crew 2 still feels a little….shallow.

The Crew 2’s Gameplay

From the get-go, The Crew 2 is a little frustrating for the least gaming reason of them all. The menus and loads are slow and frequent. When a game has a great storyline or incredible gameplay, you can generally look past a long load screen, but unfortunately, The Crew 2 doesn’t offer either of these.

Then there’s the AI. When racing, it doesn’t take much to upset your lap. The slightest mistake in your car, boat or plane will see your computer-controlled competitors fly past you, regardless of how far they were behind you previously.

The online gameplay doesn’t get a whole lot better either, which is a massive surprise given the first instalment was online-only!  For some bizarre reason, you are unable to start contests with other online unless you’ve added them to your crew. Bizarre to be honest.

But it’s not all bad. While some of the gameplay is frustrating, I’ve never enjoyed the freedom of driving around an open map quite as much as I did with The Crew 2. There’s an expansive world for you to explore and discover mad bits and pieces, so aimless wandering is the aim of the game. The ability to seamlessly jump between car, boat and plane is a bit of craic too.

The Crew 2: The Verdict

The game is beautiful, is largely fun to play and is great to pass the time. Let’s be honest, for most that more than enough to justify a game like this being in your collection. I just want something a little deeper from my games. When I look at GTA 5 or Far Cry 5, they also have massive maps where I can drive, fly or boat.

If you want a pretty mindless but very fun romp by land, sea and air, The Crew 2 is unlikely to disappoint. Personally, I’ll be getting my kicks from some of the other games I mentioned.

 

Get Ready for Amazon Prime Day 2018 in Ireland

Marty
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0
Get Ready for Amazon Prime Day 2018 in Ireland

Supporting our nearest neighbours in the World Cup might be next to impossible for some Irish people, but we’re happy to support UK sites when it comes bagging a bargain. That’s why many of us are happy to shop online with Amazon.co.uk. Even better is the one day a year where prices get slashed on a range of products to celebrate Amazon Prime Day. Look, this is a totally made up day but you can save a fortune on some things if you play your cards right. Here’s my guide to help you get ready for Amazon Prime Day 2018

What is Amazon Prime

Amazon, for some reason, decided to plonk a headquarters in Ireland but still refuses to officially operate here. In 2018, I do have to admit that things are loosening up a little bit. You can now officially buy Amazon Echo devices here and an even wider selection of products can now easily be delivered to Ireland.

Amazon Prime is a premium service and you’ll have to pay either €100 or a monthly €15 membership. You don’t need Amazon Prime to shop on Amazon.co.uk, but it does upgrade you to a first-class shopping experience, including express shipping, free UK shipping and discounts on selected products. Most importantly, to enjoy Amazon Prime Day discounts, you do need to be a Prime Member.

Now, don’t worry, I hear you. You’re probably thinking – “what good is free UK delivery to me and I in Ireland”. Well, I’ve already explained in detail how to get free UK delivery to Ireland using Parcel Motel, a virtual UK address provider that solves that problem.

 

What is Prime Day

Like we mentioned, Prime Day really is made up by Amazon to celebrate the joy of capitalism. While we’re on the subject, did you know Father’s Day only started in the seventies? Some consider days like these to be Hallmark Holidays, which, like everything else in the world, has been summed up brilliantly by The Simpsons:

People love hearing that there is a “Something Day” because they gear up for it and buy loads. Amazon Prime Day has been positioned by the online shopping giant as being similar to Black Friday is terms of value, so of course, people lose the run of themselves.

When is Prime Day 2018

This year, Amazon Prime Day is starting six hours earlier. That means you’ll need to have your credit card cleared and ready to go by the 12 pm on 16 July, when you’ll have 30 hours to buy stuff you could probably live without.

So, if you’re like me and can’t keep your shit together, here’s how to most out of Prime Day.

Get the most out of Prime Day Ireland

There are a few steps to ensure you get the very most out of Prime Day if you’re living in Ireland:

  1. Have your Parcel Motel account setup
  2. Have your Amazon Prime account ready
  3. Get the Amazon Assistant on your desktop
  4. Get familiar with Price Spy

1. Have your Parcel Motel account setup

Strictly speaking, it doesn’t have to be Parcel Motel anymore as there are several virtual UK address providers in Ireland, including An Post. Still, for UK shipping to Ireland, Parcel Motel is our service of choice.

Set up your account, get your virtual UK address and lash it into Amazon before the big day.

2. Have your Amazon Prime account ready

If you’ve never used Prime before, you can enjoy a lovely 30-day trial. If you have used it before, you could always jump on web chat and ask for another trial. It won’t always work, but give it a go. If all else fails, you can sign up for a monthly membership. Do the maths before you do though, and make sure you’re winning by saving enough on your purchase to make up the price of membership.

3. Get the Amazon Assistant on your desktop

Shop like the pros. None of your smartphone shopping nonsense, though there is an app available. You need a big screen and Amazon also offer a desktop assistant to help make sure you don’t miss a deal.

4. Get familiar with PriceSpy

This is really important. During the furore of the day, it’s easy to think you’re bagging a bargain when really you’re having your trousers pulled down. Before you buy anything, you should run it through PriceSpy to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Prime Day deals to look out for

It’s almost impossible to recommend deals as they happen in real time, but add some things you’re interested into your basket and keep an eye on them throughout the day.

There is one deal you should keep an eye out for though.

Buy an Amazon Echo on Prime Day

We’d be very surprised if Amazon didn’t have a great offer for the Echo and Echo Dot. These are Amazon’s voice-controlled home systems. They normally retail for reasonable prices, especially the Echo Dot which we absolutely love. That’s why I’m making the Echo Dot our Prime Day lock of the week; two years running!

amazon prime day lock of the week

See what I mean about The Simpsons? A quote for everything.

The online shopping super power stated on their website that this year is set to be the biggest Amazon Prime Day yet, with over 100,000 deals worldwide and thousands in the UK alone also being available to Irish shoppers. The deals are only available to Amazon Prime members, but they are very forthcoming about the fact that you can set up a prime membership and cancel it within 30 days without it costing you a penny. Here are some of our favourites on Amazon.

Luke Cage Season 2, A Spoiler Free Review

Jon
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Luke Cage Season 2, A Spoiler Free Review

I do love a good Marvel/Netflix collaboration, who doesn’t. Would you believe the second series of Luke Cage is the 9th season since the two companies decided to get in bed together to bring the Avengers B Team to the small screen? This long-term partnership has created some fantastic shows such as Daredevil and some stinkers like Iron Fist. At this point it’s safe to say the Marvel/Netflix partnership has been hit or miss. Luckily Luke Cage Season 2 is a huge hit.

How does Luke Cage stack up?

Jessica Jones and Daredevil both got second seasons from Netflix. However, Luke Cage season 2 is probably the only one of the three who’s second season is superior to the first. In fact we would go as far as to say that this is our second favourite Marvel collaboration. The Punisher stays as number one.

Image result for luke cage season 2 review

For anyone who watched the first season it’s fair to say that it was good but padded out in parts, a common problem for these collaborations. Despite that, it was released at a point in time in recent American history when racial political tensions ran high. Luke Cage as both a character and a show did a great job in subtly highlighting issues. Couple this with a ripper of a soundtrack, great characters and a top villain that made the show stand out from its peers. In my opinion, the second season took everything the first did well and resolved most of the problems of its predecessor.

Brilliant Casting

Related image

We said the cast was brilliant right? Well it is.

Mike Colter who is basically Luke Cage, really looks at home in the role. In this season he is now dealing with the price of his Harlem celebrity, operating fully in the public eye. Keep an eye out for the Harlem Hero App. This attention brings with it a level of scrutiny Cage hasn’t faced before. Colter plays the part brilliantly, bringing an understanding of how people would view a bulletproof black man who solves problems through glorified street fighting. He is also brilliant in showing an understanding of how a local hero needs to act in the eyes of the community they stand for.

Another stand out performer is Alfre Woodard who plays Mariah Dillard the crooked local political turned good. Or so we are led to believe. In this season we see her character display two distinctive personalities, reigning in the crazy to present a calm and cold public persona. Her hold on the underworld is enhanced by her relationship with Shades, and once again, Theo Rossi is an absolute delight in the role. He and Woodard get as much screen time than the show’s hero, offering a parallel story to Luke’s continued rise in the community.

A New Threat

The villainous threat in this season comes in the form of John “Bushmaster” McIver. Played by Mustafa Shakir who really brings home just how much stronger this season is. He plays a slick and cool bad guy who brings a real edge to the show. Although I could go into a lot more detail, I won’t. Firstly because I probably won’t do it any justice. Secondly because it’s a spoiler-free review. Having said that, what I will say is this –  Bushmaster goes right up there with Wilson Fisk and Kilgrave as one of the best Netflix/Marvel villains to date.

Pacing Problems…again

Luke Cage season 2 has a lot going for it. When there is a problem it almost seems minor in comparison to the shows obvious strengths. The problems are a bit obvious though. Endless scenes of 2 characters going back and forth, padding out episodes to reach the 13 episodes Netflix seem to want. These problems are not just Luke Cage issues. It’s something we have noticed in pretty much all of the collaboration projects besides Daredevil.
 
That being said, Luke Cage season 2 does have less ‘padding’ episodes in comparison to the other collaborations and this is a good thing. Unlike its cousins, this series seems less like an attempt at creating a 13-hour movie and more like an actual series. Put it like this, if you ever feel like the show is starting to drag, chill. I promise you that you’re probably only minutes away from another epic street side action sequence.

The Verdict

Image result for luke cage season 2 politics

Luke Cage is definitely the most obviously political show or movie in the Marvel catalogue. The ghetto hero forces the audience to confront uncomfortable truths. It’s that type of risk you won’t find in any big screen blockbuster. Only Black Panther can claim to be as politically motivated or risky in how it presents its message. The cast is brilliant and once again the creators have been spot on with the soundtrack. Basically Luke Cage season 2 is a huge step in the right direction for the Marvel/Netflix collaboration. It should be on your list of binge-worthy shows in the near future.

AKoin… even rapper Akon has a cryptocoin now!

Jon
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0
AKoin… even rapper Akon has a cryptocoin now!

Crytocurrencies have been around for a few years now, the most popular of which has probably been Bitcoin. So popular it has been that over the last two years or so we have seen a growth in the market that nobody expected. There are so many currencies out there now that people now have a range of different coins they can invest in to turn a quick buck or hope will become a trade-able currency in the next few years. If you have ever thought about investing in crypto but don’t know where to start check our simple guide on how to get going. Anyway as crypto grows so does the it’s possibilites, so much so that rapper Akon has come out and said that he’s planning on releasing his own cryptocurrency – AKoin!

You have to be kidding me

You might think it’s a joke but trust us it’s not. Mr Smack That himself spoke at the recent Cannes Lions Festival and he geniunly believes that cryptocurrency could potentially be the ‘saviour of Africa’. Seriously there is even an official AKoin website that the rap star has said he wants on every mobile phone by December this year.

The AKoin website

Akon says the money will go towards building the worlds very first cyptocity in Senegal and for anyone who watched the Marvel Black Panther movie they will understand what’s meant when he says his vision is to create a real life Wakanda.

According to the AKoin website, the rappers plan has been given the backing of the Senegalese government who have gifted the project 2,000 acres of land just outside the nations capital city. Akon Crytpto City (the town’s official name) is promised to be a futuristic environment that will be the worlds first ever fully crypto based city with AKoin at the heart of day to day transactional life. Absolute madness but a really cool concept that we are interested in seeing, plus if it works who knows Goosed.ie might try do the same in Ireland. Imagine that.

Image result for akoin

The idea here is that consumers will be able to buy, hold and spend their AKoin directly from their smartphone.

“It brings the power back to the people and brings the security back into the currency system,” Akon explained.

“It also allows the people to utilise it in ways where they can advance themselves and not allow government to do those things that are keeping them down.”

I guess you could say like Casey Neistat, Akon is hoping to Smack That and bring crytocurrency like never before. Sorry I had to make the joke, it gives me an excuse to link the song below. So let’s all sit back enjoy the ride and wait to see if this is genius, totally mental or something in between.

HTC Exodus – The World’s First Blockchain Phone

Jon
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0
HTC Exodus – The World’s First Blockchain Phone

I think most of us would agree, smartphone innovation has been pretty much non-existent in the last couple of years. More and more these days there is very little to choose between the heavy hitters of the smartphone game, to such an extent that we will make a decision based on our favourite brand rather than specs, style or substance – because it’s all much the same. HTC have a plan to change all this with the launch of the world’s first blockchain smartphone the HTC Exodus.

What’s all this then?

Realistically the HTC Exodus is a phone you are unlikely to see on the shelves in your local phone shop anytime soon, it’s just going to be that different. The Exodus is going to be the worlds first major branded phone that will be dedicated to blockchain encryption (To be fair I only figured out what that meant recently so if you’re unsure check out our Bluffers Guide to Tech Buzzwords). Essentially it is the security technology that is behind the growth of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin and probably rapper Akon’s new Akoin – yes that is a thing.

Image result for htc exodus image

After recent scandals such as the Cambridge analytica cluster fuck, people are more aware of their private and personal data like never before, couple this with the furore around the new GDPR regulations and you can see why a company like HTC would see an opening for a product that puts customer security at the forefront. HTC say that the Exodus will allow owners to keep their data (and crypto-wallet) private and secure on the device itself rather than in the cloud. This way your sensitive information is harder to tamper with or steal. No bad thing in my book.

What do we know right now?

htc-exodus
HTC

 

Right now that’s the only image we have available to us and it really doesn’t give anything away. The HTC Exodus will probably look much the same as their current range of products with the most important innovations hidden under the hood.

“I want to see a world where the end consumers can truly own their data without the need for central authorities,” Phil Chen, Head of product development for the HTC Exodus

What we do know is that the Exodus will support support decentralized applications AKA not on the Playstore , run on Android software and have a universal wallet for storing your digital currencies. HTC says every phone will serve as its own blockchain node, part of the network that helps make blockchain systems secure.

Magic or Marketing?

The Exodus is going to be a seperate project, far away from HTC’s normal range of flagship producsts and right now we have no anticipated release date or pricing. The rumour mill has it that HTC will accept cryptocurrency payments when the handset does finally hit the market.

Annoyingly there are no images beyond the blueprint available right now, yet you can reserve the Exodus phone online. Personally I don’t see why anyone would want to reserve a phone we have never seen but there you go. HTC believe the concept of a secure phone is going to be a big enough selling tool even though there are a range of software applications already exist that should do the same job. Is the HTC Exodus a piece of innovative technology or just a another brand trying to get on the ‘blockchain’ bandwagon? Only time will tell.

Google Home in Ireland: Review and Complete Buyers Guide

Marty
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0
Google Home in Ireland: Review and Complete Buyers Guide

It’s taken a shocking amount of time, but Google has finally launched their smart assistant range in Ireland. Earlier this year, Amazon began officially supporting their range of Echo smart assistants too. With Google’s announcement today that the Google Home and Home Mini are now on sale in Ireland, the stage is set for Google and Amazon to go toe to toe.

What do you need to know about the Google Home? How much is it? Which one should you buy and is it worth your money? I’m going to go through all of this and maybe more.

When is Google Home Coming to Ireland?

I’m delighted to say, you can now buy the Google home in Ireland from a load of places. After years and years of using services like Parcel Motel to route package through a virtual UK address, you can now buy a Google Assistant-powered device without that feeling that you’re smuggling something.

Where to Buy a Google Home in Ireland?

First up, you can buy Google Assistant powered devices straight from Google’s Irish online store. The Google Store is really improving their offering in Ireland and now officially offer Google WiFi and Chromecast in Ireland too. Will we see the Google Pixel 3 this year too? Unlikely, but lets basque in what that store offers for now regardless.

Beyond the Google Store, you can also pick up a smart speaker in electronics stores around the country. Here are some of the confirmed spots you can grab yourself a smart assistant now:

How Much Does a Google Home Cost?

Ok, so there are a few different options when it comes to getting yourself a Google Assistant-powered smart speaker. Here’s the range of official speakers from Google:

  • Google Home
  • Google Home Mini
  • Google Home Max

Two are now available for sale in Ireland; the original Google Home and the Google Home Mini. To be completely honest, the Google Home Max isn’t a massive loss. Right now, the Irish market is slowing adopting the idea of smart assistants and remain unwilling to invest a huge sum of money into getting their first device and the Max costs quite a bit. A lower price is the secret behind Amazon Echo Dot being so popular to date. Here’s how much the Google Home and Home Mini will cost:

  • Google Home – €149
  • Google Home Mini – €59

Google Home Mini vs Google Home

Right, this is the big one. Should you go for the €149 Google Home or the €59 Google Home Mini. There’s a significant price difference between the two, but do you lose out going cheap or will you be disappointed overspending?

Why You Should Buy the Google Home

The Google Home has a great speaker built in. Considering you can link your Google Home to music streaming services like Spotify, it’s a great speaker to have in the corner of the living room. Just holler “Hey Google, play some dinner music”, and you’ll immediately set the atmosphere up for dining.

If you’re looking for a speaker that is powerful enough to fill the room with tunes but also have Google Assistant-powered control over what’s playing, then the Google Home is worth the outlay. To be honest, a minority of people will feel compelling to spend the extra money on the bigger speaker.

Why You Should Buy the Google Home Mini

I imagine the vast majority of people will feel the Google Home Mini is more than enough to meet their needs. The Mini can do absolutely everything its bigger brother can do at a fraction of a cost. The tradeoff you make is the speaker being smaller. This is the same set up as Amazon of course with the Echo and Echo Dot. However, The Echo Dot can easily be connected to a large speaker through the AUX cable – not an option on the Home Mini. To do that, you’ll need a Chromecast Audio – smart Google, going for the upsell.

Honestly though, it’s not like the Home Mini speaker is bad. It’ll be more than enough for most people and give you a great insight into just how cool having a smart speaker is. But just what can you do with one of these speakers?

4 Things You Can Do With Google Home and Google Home Mini

The list of things your Google Home and Google Home Mini can do is pretty incredible. I’ve been playing with one for a while now and here are my five favourite things.

1. Stream to Chromecast

If you have a Chromecast and a Google Home or Home Mini, this is one of the coolest things in the world. You can holler, “Hey Google, stream Unbox Therapy to my TV” and just sit back to enjoy watching Lewis. This also works for Netflix, but you’ll need to know what you want to watch. By that I mean you can’t browse through Netflix, you have to be more decisive. For example, if you want to watch Super Hans, just ask your assistant, “Ok Google, stream Peep Show on Netflix to my TV”.

If you have opted for the Google Home Mini, this will also work for Spotify, turning your TV into a giant speaker!

Now, my eco-system at home is very Amazon led. I’ve got the Echo Dot and the Echo Spot. I also have a Chromecast and I can now introduce you to the benefits, or maybe problems, of having an eco-system. Amazon devices can’t speak to Google devices. I can ask Alexa to stream to Chromecast and she’ll have none of it.

This makes me think that Google is the much more user-friendly model versus the Echo range for the Irish market.

2. Set Timers

This is not Google-exclusive but it’s probably the voice-controlled feature that I use most regularly. If you’re cooking or doing a facemask (obviously not me that one) you just should “Hey Google, start a timer for 15 minutes” and hey presto. You’ll get a notification when it’s time to whip the food out of the oven, or take off that face mask.

There’s actually a concept which developers pay attention to when creating voice assistants. They are always looking for their ‘raw chicken moment’. Imagine you’re cutting raw chicken in the kitchen and now you need to set a timer; you can’t touch anything. It’s literally now easier to ask for a timer to be started. This is the moment every voice controlled app is now looking for.

3. Update and Check Your Calendar

I’ve had a Google Calendar for years. I have not idea why I didn’t use it and maybe it’s a coming of age thing, but I find keeping my calendar up to date very relaxing. Whether it’s a concert, a trip or a dentist appointment, having a central calendar is great. Sometimes I’ll add from my phone or my laptop and then other times I’ll use the Google Assistant.

It’s pretty user-friendly too. Just chat with Google and say “Hey Google, add a dentist appointment to my calendar for 23rd of August” and it’ll be added to your calendar. You can also ask “Ok Google, how is my diary looking for the next week” and she’ll run through your schedule. Seriously, it’s good to be organised.

4. Irish Launch Easter Eggs

To celebrate Google launching their smart speakers in Ireland, they’ve put together some Irish Easter Eggs. I love Easter Eggs and no, it’s nothing to do with chocolate. Here are some of the best ones you can try, right now in Ireland:

Hey Google, Mayo for Sam

Hey Google, what’s the craic?

Hey Google, isn’t there a grand stretch in the evening?

YouTube Premium Launches in Ireland: Say Goodbye to YouTube Ads

Marty
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0
YouTube Premium Launches in Ireland: Say Goodbye to YouTube Ads

I’m sure we’ve all been there. Watching YouTube videos, casually cursing under your breath for every single ad that comes along. And then, oh god…then… the bloody 30-second ad you can’t skip. While these have apparently been removed by YouTube, ads are just generally a pain in the arse. Like, when was the last time you recorded something on Sky+, forgot you had recorded it and then gleefully fast-forwarded all of those bloody ads with Maroon 5 singing ‘Every little thing, is gonna be alright’. Cringe.

Anyway, if you’re an avid fan of YouTube you’ll be glad to hear that the Google-owned company has just launched YouTube Premium in Ireland. If you’re a Spotify fan, you might also be interested to hear YouTube Music is also now available too.

What is YouTube Premium?

There are a few pet hates I have for YouTube:

  1. Ads. Countless ads.
  2. Music stopping when I close the app
  3. The hardship of trying to download videos

YouTube Premium solves all of these problems.

Blocking YouTube Ads with Premium

Let’s kick off with ads. Right now, companies pay for spots before the video you want to watch in order to show you a message. More or less the same way TV advertising works. The difference is that YouTube doesn’t really care where that money comes from, whether it’s you watching ads or paying not to see them. YouTube Premium is the latter option, where for a monthly fee, you’ll no longer see ads on YouTube.

Play YouTube Videos in the Background

I came up with an untidy solution to this problem not so long ago, mainly because I was on a buzz of listening to a YouTuber called the Creepy Fox while I slept; I’m weird. Anyway, if you’re willing to fork out for YouTube Premium every month you can now start playing something in YouTube and then close off your screen. You’d swear these were big things I wanted solved, but that’s worth the admission fee on its own.

Downloading YouTube Videos

Thanks to EU roaming, there’s probably not much call for downloading YouTube content any more, unless you’re editing video or something. I have yet to try this out, but I doubt that you actually get access to the raw video file like you would downloading through Keepvid or something similar (which has been shut down – try this instead)

How Much Does YouTube Premium Cost?

This is the big bit. Personally, I actually don’t use YouTube quite a lot. My other half does though so I thought I would survey her on this and see what she thought:

is youtube premium worth it

And I think that sums the service up nicely. Will people pay €11.99 for YouTube Premium to block ads alone? Maybe, but that alone isn’t really enough. I didn’t tell my better half that there’s more to this story.

Google Also Launches YouTube Music in Ireland

When you sign up to YouTube Premium, you get everything that I’ve pointed out so far, along with access to YouTube Music.

What is YouTube Music?

Just like all the other music streaming services out there, YouTube Music brings a massive catalogue of music into the palm of your hand. The app looks very like Spotify which suggests that’s who YouTube view as their primary target.

In terms of catalogue size, you’ll be hard-pressed not to find your favourite tunes on YouTube music along with all the options of covers and funny parodies too. Let’s not forget, there are countless awesome playlists for various moods and mindsets too, which you’ll not be able to tap into as well.

If you’ve been won over by YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, you’ll be able to enjoy the latter without ads, in the background with your screen off and even be able to download tunes if you’re heading into a coverage blackspot.

How Much is YouTube Music?

There will be a free version of YouTube Music but that’ll have ads. To go ad-free, YouTube Music will set you back €9.99 a month – you’ll note the same as Spotify Premium. Could this be an actual contender to knock Spotify off top spot?

But don’t forget, for just €11.99 a month, you’ll get all of YouTube Music Premium included with YouTube Premium too! While I haven’t heard anything yet, I’d imagine a YouTube Premium Family package is on the way too and that’ll probably be around €14.99 per month.

Most importantly, you can try out this new Premium ad-free life for free for three months. Just sign up for your YouTube Premium and see what the high-life feels like.

 

Google WiFi Review: The Simple WiFi Extender

Marty
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Google WiFi Review: The Simple WiFi Extender

Home is where the WiFi connects automatically. For me, that’s two different locations. One is a Dublin City centre apartment while the other is my childhood home in Kilkenny. Now, both locations do indeed have WiFi connections that all my devices connect to automatically, but both also pose fairly connectivity problems. I tried out a Google WiFi system to see if it could solve them.

What is Google WiFi?

First thing’s first. Google WiFi doesn’t replace your need for an internet provider or having a modem in your home. You’ll still need someone like eir, Vodafone, Sky or Virgin Media to provide you with an internet connection. You connect Google WiFi to your modem where it then broadcasts a WiFi signal around your home.

There are a couple of reasons why this is very cool and useful.

Google WiFi Mesh

You can either buy a Google WiFi on its own or in a three pack. The reason for this is because you can connect the devices together to create what Google refers to as a Mesh network connection.

Google WiFi’s Mesh functionality overcomes the primary problem I experience with the internet connection in my childhood home in Kilkenny. The walls are foot and a half thick granite. The modem in the hall barely services the surrounding rooms thanks to the bunker-like resistance offered by the granite walls.

When I was testing, I only needed two of the Google WiFis to extend the internet connection all the way around the home. This meant I now had a connection in ‘the far bedroom’ which hasn’t seen a crisp WiFi connection in a long, long time. Here’s a WiFi strength test I ran in ‘the far room’ before connecting the Google WiFi (on the left) and after (on the right):

google wifi signal test in the far room

Network Assist Channel Selection

Have you ever been stuck in traffic wondering if you took that left turn up ahead, could your whole commute be faster? Just like being stuck on a crowded road, your WiFi connection can suffer from overcrowding. This is an issue in my Dublin apartment where right now there are 26 wireless internet connections around me. All of these run on a finite number of channels and these channels, like the routes home, can become congested with traffic.

Generally, once you set up a modem, it checks all of the channels and places you on the fastest, but this can change over time. Google WiFi has software built in which scans the network and surrounding channels every five minutes and picks the fastest one for your internet connection.

That’s probably one of the coolest and most useful features you can enjoy with a single Google WiFi, but by no means is it the last feature.

Parental Access Controls

We’re big fans of providing kids with internet access but also teaching them the key values involved with responsible internet usage. iKydz is a fantastic Irish company which provides a solution to this problem and helps monitor and block children’s internet usage. If you have a Google WiFi you can also enjoy similar benefits.

Site Blocking

Google SafeSearch is one of those fundamental ways to protect children online. The only problem is that it can be quite easy to disable on a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Google WiFi allows you to assign only Google SafeSearch access to a device using that particular WiFi connection.

With just that only setting, your kid’s smart device will no longer be able to access any of the almost eight million websites considered by Google to be unsafe.

I particularly like this as it’s non-intrusive. You’re not monitoring your kid’s internet connection but are somewhat safe in knowing they cannot access adult content.

Device Time Restrictions

When is bedtime? When is study time? When is dinner time?

You can use your Google WiFi connection to restrict certain devices from accessing the internet. If your kids are slow to get out of the sitting room because they are on YouTube, with the flick of a switch, their devices will no longer have access to the internet. If bedtime is 9 pm, their devices can be cut off from that time forward – a good idea as studies show the light from screens before sleep can be over stimulating.

Google WiFi Review: The Verdict

You can only buy one or three and to be honest, most people will find both options to be quite pricey:

  • Google WiFi – €139
  • Google WiFi 3-pack – €359

Now, that’s pricey if you don’t live in a house with a very limited internet connection or an older-styled gaff with massive granite walls. If you do, chances are you can’t put a price on a stable internet connection.

The other thing I haven’t mentioned is just how easy the setup is. The Google WiFi app will guide you through the setup, helping you to optimise and control your network while also offering a portal through to a typically helpful Google customer care rep.

While pricey, the Google WiFi is one of the easiest to set up and effective ways to improve your home internet connection regardless of your home size.

Google WiFi is available from the Google Store, DID Electrical and Power City

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