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Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy Review

Jon
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Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy Review

We know, we know we are late to the boat on this one. But in all honesty we felt that we had to really delve deep into the Crash Bandicoot NSane Trilogy to bring you the best review .

2017 has been the year of the remaster, they are everywhere we look and you either love them or hate them. I personally love the little trip down memory lane. Crash Bandicoot I was brought all the way back to the simpler times of childhood and the humble PS1. Remember Crash was so popular back in the day that he became the unofficial mascot of the PlayStation. The only downside here is that it has taken Activision 20 years to bring our favourite titles back to life (prize if you can guess the names of the original 3 games)

I must admit I had this pre-ordered for a long time before it finally hit the shelves. When the download finally dropped it felt like Christmas 1998 all over again. The graphics have been given a lovely touch up with a sexy modern look that won’t feel out of place on the PS4. Better yet Crash still harks back to the nostalgic memories of the previous incarnations. Look it’s no Battlefield or Fifa but that is beyond the point, Crash Bandicoot is back an that is all that matters.

Image result for crash bandicoot n sane trilogy review

 

Having said that, the new update stands up to scrutiny although it may have been nice to have a couple of new levels. Guess that was just too much to ask. Crash doesn’t look out of place on the PS4 which is a nice novely. Just don’t get your hopes up. The game is exactly as it was back in the day minus some control tweaks which might see a controller fly across the room every once in a while.

Unlike Mario or Sonic, Crash was born into 3d when he arrived on the scene in 1996. Jesus that’s a long time ago now, in fact it was actually outsold by Super Mario 64.. if you remember that just take a moment and marvel in the fact you lived during the gaming golden age. Without a shadow of a doubt the NSane trilogy is fun, especially given how straight forward the control system is versus modern games. The levels in themselves are so fast paced and mental its almost blink and you miss it. Or in my case repetitive falling into the same chasm. But sitting back with the 90s Spotify playlist on and completing a level with that big dopey smile on your face, totally worth it.

Image result for crash bandicoot n sane trilogy review

While it’s only happened once to me, there is a a sweet satisfaction when you fly through a level without a mistake. You fall in love with the game when it happens. So much so that you will find yourself saying “one more go couldn’t hurt” and suddenly it’s 4am. Story of my life!

As with everything, here comes the downside.  While the game is a great laugh there are times when it can drive you NSane … Waheeey. Activision have admitted to tweaking the controls to make the game that little bit more challenging. We wish they hadn’t  as with some obstacles that you will never see coming you become reduced to a trail and error method to complete some levels. To be perfectly honest I gained a few grey hairs (not even joking) and the poor dog got told where to go on more than one occasion as a result.

Trying to attempt some of the jumps requires pinpoint accuracy or large amounts of luck which can be a pain. Seeing Crash fall down the same hole over and over again just because he won’t jump exactly where you want him to jump is no picnic. Expect the inevitable freak out. You will probably turn off your console more times than you could imagine. Yet every time without fail you will find yourself returning for just one more game… Half the fun if you ask me.

What does this all mean?

Basically if you weren’t a Crash Bandicoot fan back in the day then probably don’t bother starting now. But if like me this was your thing the chance to revisit your childhood is just too good to walk away from.

Despite the lack of improvement, the dicky jump control and the repetitive nature of some of the levels you can forgive all these for the joy and smiles they generate. ( my 18 year old sister even gave it a crack) So forget paying rent, bills and any of that other adulating nonsense and jump right back into the vortex of your childhood .

PS4- Tekken 7 Review

Jon
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0
Now we all remember Tekken from back in the day, that ridiculous arcade style button bashing fighting game from way back to the origins of the humble Playstation 1. Unlike some fighting games Tekken has never been one to take itself too seriously. So in the name of good reviews I have taken one for the team and have spent the last few weeks jumping into nostalgia central in order to get you the best review possible on the most bonkers fighting game out there.

 

So how has Tekken taken too the huge jump to the latest console generation? has it still got that quirky sense of humour that made it so funny, can we still slap the crap out of an old man with a guy wearing a lion head or a panda? well the answer is…. kinda

The old favourites like Jin, King, Eddy and the rest of the gang are back for a blast, but  A convoluted story mode tries to tie up every loose end, but does it with too straight a face. So its good news, bad news really. I guess this is the guys at taken knowing their audience, for those of us like myself who have grown up with the punchem-up blockbuster its a great experience to get home from work and dive right into some thoughtless fist fighting, and for that alone Tekken 7 delivers in spades.

Born in the Arcade- Raised on the Playstation

Unlike most games that are made for cross platform gameplay, Tekken 7 like every other Tekken game down the years was built specially for the Playstation. Triangle and square work the punches while X and Circle are used for thumping kicks and the control just feels like it belongs in your hands. Simple and beautiful what’s not too like.

Better again, our past favourites are back with their signature moves- which are still as epic as ever with literally hundreds of variations, combos and multi-stage throw techniques to get your head around.  A few new people have joined the cast, but one or two of the historical characters are missing. Smells of DLC content to keep the players gaming for longer.

Remember the Rage mechanics that first surfaced in Tekken 6? Well it has been transformed for this new iteration with two new attributes – although both only kick in once you’ve dropped below a certain health threshold. So there is Rage Attacks which are a more devastating version of your regular attacks, then add what has been called “Rage Art”. Its a cinematic attack with unreal graphics that do huge damage in a single burst. Its actually quite similar to the Street Fighter Super Attack, but they just look so god dam good. A good thing to remember you only get them when your hurt and if your opponent blocks it, so make it count.

Oddly enough this isnt the only thing borrowed from Street Fighter. One particular character makes the jump but you will have to play the story mode to find out why.

Storyline Madness

After 7 generations of Tekken one would think that the story would have finally gone beyond a very extreme family feud. Nope not even in the slightest but really who cares and at this point in time Heihachi and Kazuya have leveled half the globe in their fight and of course their is Jin, the half man half devil himself. These guys even make my family look normal, not once have I thrown my brother of a mountain. (never thought that would be a line I would ever write)

The story line cut scenes look absolutely gorgeous, seriously the graphics are amazing. However at times they take a but drawn out and over the top with usual Anime magic but its good and gives your thumbs a well needed break from going 90. But if you prefer to just jump right into the thick of things of course you have the ever useful skip button to help you out.

Not all of our heroes make the grade and are sadly degraded into small bit part side stories , mainly due to a severe lack of the “king of iron fists tournament”. It’s odd to see series stalwarts like Yoshimitsu, Paul and Law given bit parts, while a certain Street Fighter villain gets a huge chunk of story. More serious than any previous story modes which takes away some of the fun, but take it as it is and it’ thoroughly enjoyable all the same. Oh also before I forget, ask yourself what questions you had from previous story modes, they are all pretty much answered which is a relief itself. But Namco just couldn’t help itself and managed to sneak a sequel-baiting post-credits cutscene in there for good measure. We probably haven’t seen the final chapter just yet.

One for all the cheaters

I abhor this feature as it’s essentially cheating made easy so thanks a lot helping hand for making things just a little too easy. Press down L1 and boom the main trigger buttons suddenly become short cuts into special and combo moves.

It makes getting through a difficult battle a cheap victory, being able to special attack your opponent into submission without any true skill just takes away from the satisfaction of the moment, or is it just me?

if you feel like me you don’t need to use them, but when changing character every other fight scene its impossible to master the person’s move set, so the cheating option will start to look more and more enticing.

Just don’t and your eventual victory will be all the sweeter.

Value added extras

When not watching the beautiful cut scenes or making mince meat of your family members in the story mode there are a range of other game types to keep you busy.

First of the bat is the Treasure Battle, its a never ending fight series where the AI gets progressively stronger. Each win unlocks new gear and other bits like hairstyles. Lets call a spade a spade here, Heitachi is automatically less intimidating wearing a traffic cone or something else as mad. Also known as win some fights and customise the crap out of them You’ve got to grind your way through this one specific mode just to unlock everything, which is a shame because online would be so much better with this included. But we will come back to that.

Then we have a bit of nostalgia with the Jukebox and gallery modes. Use your in game currency to unlock music tracks or movies cut scenes from all the old games. The only thing that is missing is the old school insanity of Tekken Force or the Tekken Bowl. God i miss that random arcade style gameplay.

Online Gameplay

When the story is done and dusted and the Mishima family are done throwing each other of mountains, Tekken has something else for you to sink your teeth in. Online mulitplayer because whats better than baiting your mate, well now get ready for online tournament mode.

There is a single and double elimination mode and better again there is an intruiging spectator mode which will let viewers tune in to watch the action, with voice and text chat built-in for good measure, but the eight-participant player limit could be a bit small. Online gameplay is made of the usual ranked and unranked matches, win enough get on the leaderboard, job done.

The only real downside for online gameplay in Tekken 7 is that games like Injustice 2 rewards the players with prizes like loot drops, whereas Tekken is just for the pride of the being the best. Which should be enough but its not.

The Goosed Verdict

Timing is key here and at the same time Street Fighter made a return to the Nintendo Switch, while Injustice 2 is practically brand new and is slowly making its way to the top of the fight gaming genre. So where does Tekken 7 fall into place among the raft of fightem-ups currently on the market?

With a couple new characters added to the roster, amazing visuals and Rage art scenes that will blow your mind- Tekken 7 is as fun to play as it was back in the day.  It lets you do what you do best, kick the living bejaysus out of opponent, smash out a few 10 hit combos and sit back and watch the slow mo scene as you finish them off.

If you love Tekken your gonna love this, it breathes new life into a series we haven’t seen for awhile. But in an ever crowded scene of fighting games will Tekken 7 stand out from the crowd? Honestly probably not, but enjoy the ride while you can.

Rating

3 stars…. button bash your way to a great laugh

Pros
Simple and effective gameplay
Loads to do with multiple story lines and new online mode
The graphics are mind boggling good
Cons
Lacking Bonus modes ( remember rampaging through the gaurds in the old games)
Shallow and waaaay out their story mode
Just seems to be missing that small wow factor

Man & Machine: The Aussie with built in NFC

Jon
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A man holding up an opal card.

Technology and man merging, its a conversation that has gone on as far back as The Million Dollar Man. But one man by the name of Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow (Seriously thats actually his real name) has decided to try merging man with machine for real. He is a Bio-hacker from down under and he has installed the Aussie equivalent of the Leap card into his hand.

He did this by cutting out the NFC chip from the card and encased in bio-compatible plastic, measuring 10 millimetres by 6 millimetres. After that he implanted the small device beneath his skin on his left hand. So now he can hop on and off public transport without ever having to fumble around for his card. Imagine that, no searching for your Leap card while you see the carts pull up to your stop. Cue panic- but no more if you fancy it.

By the way he actually has three of these chips installed, the other two are fully re-programmable so he can do things like open his car, connect to his phone and basically any of the uses of NFC that you can think of.

“It gives me an ability that not everyone else has, so if someone stole my wallet I could still get home,” he said.

Like everybody else he tops up his card via his smartphone, there is only one slight drawback. His hand needs to be about 1cm from the card scanner about three times closer than your card needs to be. Darn skin getting in the way of progress. Oh and he sometimes needs to tap more than once, due to his device’s smaller antenna. But still pretty cool.

A man using his arm to swipe on public transport.For experts only

This isn’t something we would recommend, Mr Meow as we will now call him had to have his chip installed by a piercing expert. The procedure lasted about 1 hour. His other two procedures involved minor surgery which you know just seems a bit extreme for getting on a tram.

According to Mr Meow he claims that the procedure carries risks of bacterial infection so it needs to be done by professionals. So Martin put the butter knife down and step away from the counter. The best part of all this is the how the authorities have taken this. Not good by the way, his actions were a breach of Opal’s terms of service, which prohibit tampering. Right now he is the most wanted passenger who pays his fares.

What comes next

Mr Meow actually pretty much thinks that this kind of technology could be the future. His opinion is that implants like this could become as common as pacemakers for heart problems, the bar for birth control or even the gastric band. He has been as bold as to claim that approximately 40 people want to get the Opal card installed once the confusion with the authorities clears up.

“Putting technology into the body is not unusual,” 

This technology could be brilliant going forward even if just for medical reasons alone. Medical information could be stored on an NFC chip for better patient treatment. But for now Mr Meow can get on a tram. That’s good enough for now.

Would you get an NFC chip installed??

What Xiaomi Adds for Customers in the Irish Mobile Market

Goosed.ie Team
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What Xiaomi Adds for Customers in the Irish Mobile Market

Perhaps you’ve never heard of the smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, and that’s for good reason. The company is huge in China and India but has only started to break through to the West in recent years. What may surprise you is that Xiaomi is the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, right behind Apple, Samsung and Huawei. They’re really, really huge. Soon they’ll be making their first big break in Ireland, having partnered with Three to bring their phones to western countries such as Ireland and the UK. But what does Xiaomi offer that others don’t?

What Xiaomi Brings to the Table

Xiaomi has been huge for the tech-heads around the globe no matter where they live. Affordable and with great processors along with an ease of importing, these devices tend to be perfect for students who aren’t willing to spend 800 euro for a phone off-contract. They’re also great for those who want a brand new phone without being tied into a contract in general. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Plus will set you back about €160, and it’s pretty much got everything you could ever want in a phone. Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp will all run just as well as on a Samsung Galaxy S9+, and for a fraction of the cost. It’s understandable why we may start to see the Chinese rising of mobile phones.

Chinese Companies Offer Unique Designs

The cost isn’t all that has smartphone pundits drawn to Xiaomi. The company has been one of the first to introduce a “bezel-less” design, a phone design that has the screen nearly edge-to-edge. Take a look at the photo below:

Isn’t that phone just beautiful? If looks aren’t enough, don’t worry, it also costs €400 off-contract with one of the best processors on the market and a pretty decent camera. A much sweeter deal than the Samsungs and the Apples of the world today.

It’s not all Xiaomi

Xiaomi isn’t the only Chinese manufacturer making waves in the West.

OnePlus

OnePlus, a startup you may have heard of that initially required invitations to buy their phones has been steadily growing over the years. Their phones have slogans such as “Never Settle” and “The Speed You Need”. They’re extremely confident in their products and testing has shown their latest phone, the OnePlus 6, to probably be the fastest phone on the market today. OnePlus isn’t messing around, and if processing speed isn’t enough for you, their phones also charge the fastest on the market too. It takes 30 minutes to charge the OnePlus 6 from 0% to 60%, an absurdly quick charging time. This device is costlier than the others at a €519 starting price, but it’s still much cheaper than some of the phones it goes toe-to-toe with and even beats in terms of performance. They’ve also officially sold in the West for years now, they just started out small and grew over time.

Huawei

And then there are the heavy hitters, the ones that have been around long enough to start charging just a little bit more thanks to brand loyalty. Huawei is through and through a Chinese smartphone manufacturer. Their headquarters is in Shenzhen and they’ve been cropping up more and more in the news because of privacy concerns. If you’re in the US and work as a government contractor, you can no longer use Huawei or ZTE phones.

That’s not to say that’s right, as there’s currently no evidence of exploitation from Huawei of its market position in the US. Still, they have a wide range of devices and you’ve either owned one or known someone who has within the last couple of years. I have it on good authority that Goosed has a Huawei P20 Pro review on the way soon too, so keep an eye out for that.

Honor

Huawei also has a subsidiary company called Honor which focuses mainly on online sales and tries to focus a lot more on the western market. While they announced their first phone in Malaysia in 2013, they moved into the European market very quickly, only a year later, announcing a product launch in Berlin.

It’s happening pretty quickly, but accepting these new brands will make things a lot easier not just on you, but on your wallet as well. These companies are desperate to break into new markets, and charging a lower price than the competition is the perfect way to do that. They aren’t charging absurdly low prices to steal from consumers, they’re gaining market share by doing that. That in turn attracts investment and allows these companies to gain a proper foothold.

That’s what Huawei did, they were just one of the first to do it.

 

National Bike Week: Getting Up On Two Wheels

Marty
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National Bike Week: Getting Up On Two Wheels

I live in Dublin City and I’ll often find myself in a situation where car, bus or Luas just doesn’t make sense. Bikes always make sense, until I’m behind the wheel of my car and I’m shouting at cyclists. In my defence, I also cycle and shout at motorists, so it goes both ways. But if you’re living in Dublin and, like me, you’re tight on space, what options are there for using a bike without owning on? Spoiler alert; the options are plentiful.

Dublin Bikes

Dublin Bikes began back in 2009 and is Dublin Council’s own bike sharing system. Users sign up to the service and can then rent a bike from over 100 stations around Dublin. To use the service, you must be a subscriber, costing €25 annually. After you pay your membership, you’ll either be sent a Dublin Bikes card or you can link to an existing Leap Card. You may not pay another penny to use the service depending on how long you’ve borrowed a bike for. Here’s the full pricing scheme:

Time 30 min 1 hr 2 hrs 3 hrs 4 hrs
Rate Free €0.50 €1.50 €3.50 €6.50

As you can see, it’s a very cost-effective method of accessing a bike in Dublin without the worry of owning one yourself.

There are a few drawbacks. It’s somewhat common to head to a Dublin Bike station and find there are no bikes available, particularly during rush hour. Also common is to get back home to your local station and to find it full. Generally speaking, you should be able to find another spot handy enough, but still – it’s an inconvenience. The service also shuts down at 11.30pm, meaning you can only return bikes after this time, no more rentals.

You’ll find a very similar system to this in Galway, Cork and Limerick.

Bleeper Bikes

I sang the praises of Bleeper Bikes last year only for Dublin City Council to outlaw them, fearing they would cause havoc on Dublin’s footpaths.

Bleeper Bike is a privately run bike sharing scheme. What sets Bleeper Bike apart from Dublin Bikes is that there are no stations. Using the Bleeper Bike app, you can find a bike which has been locked up at a designated locking point for bikes in the Dublin area. This means you shouldn’t just go locking your Bleeper Bike to signposts or handrails. Instead, you need to make sure you lock it to a proper bike space, of which there are plenty in Dublin.

Bleeper Bike certainly offers some freedom that Dublin Bikes can’t offer. For example, if you live miles away from a Dublin Bike station, you might find a Bleeper Bike nearby. But ‘might’ is never a nice word to hear, is it?

The main drawback of Bleeper Bikes is also its strength; you can find them anywhere, but might also find none nearby. I was going to add that the price might be another drawback, but really that depends on how much you use the service. For €0.80 you can ride a Bleeper Bike for 60 minutes, but you can also pay €75 and get four, 60-minute rides per day, every day for a year. You can check out all the pricing on the Bleeper Bike site to see if it suits your needs.

After having their progress in Dublin slowed, Bleeper Bike looked at the rest of the country and is also available in Sligo.

Urbo

Another popular provider of stationless bike sharing is Urbo. They’ve already set up in the UK but have also been granted the same permission to operate as Bleeper Bike. Little is known right now about what pricing they’ll offer, but watch these space; bike sharing is about to get good and competitive in Dublin.

Bike Sharing Accessories

With bike sharing on the up, there’s possibly a growing market for bike sharing accessories. One helmet manufacturer has found 92% of bike sharing cyclists don’t wear helmets so they went off and designed a flat-pack helmet you can always have in your bag. Eco Helmet is another company looking at this space, producing a foldable, paper helmet. Might sound mad, but it exists, look:

What do you think of bike sharing? Jump onto the comments below and let me know.

Cineworld 4DX Cinema Review: Crap Gimmick or the Future of Cinema?

Marty
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Cineworld 4DX Cinema Review: Crap Gimmick or the Future of Cinema?

Sometimes I worry that I’m too easily amused. Anything at all that ventures from the norm usually grabs my attention. After my last trip to the cinema to see Deadpool 2, I spotted Cineworld were bigging up a new experience, namely 4DX. But what the bloody hell is it? I went along to see the latest Jurassic World movie and also to bring you this 4DX cinema review.

What is 4DX Cinema?

You’ve been hearing a lot about augmented reality these days but did you know it reaches far beyond your smartphone screen. Augmented reality became a permanent feature in Cineworld Dublin, adding an extra layer of experience for movie lovers.

Trying to add a little zest to the cinema experience is nothing new and even dates back to 1960. In more recent years, we’ve seen 3D come and, surprisingly, stay. IMAX has been around for years with cinemagoers being dwarfed by the gargantuan screen. Now, Cineworld in Dublin has taken what might be the next step through 4DX.

When you check out a film in 4DX you’ll be sprayed with water, jolted back and forth along with side to side with a moving seat. Shots of air whizz past your head simulating bullets while a pipe whips you in the legs from time to time too – don’t worry it doesn’t hurt. All the while this is taking place, the cinema itself lights up with flashes of lightning, fog comes from two machines in front of the screen, fans send stormy breezes through the audience and the back of the seat in front of you even sprays odours at the right moment in the movie.

Where Can I Try 4DX Cinema?

Ireland has but one I’m afraid and that’s in Cineworld on Parnell Street in Dublin. That screen is, by comparison to most screens, quite small and fills up quick. Will more spring up? While possible, it’s unlikely given the cost of setting up a screen combined with the loss of a traditional screen too. Sure, one may be set up in the coming years, but the experience is a little niche at the moment.

4DX Review: Worth Your Bobs?

Right. Brass tacks. I went along to check out Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in 4DX to see what the fuss is about.

(Fitting) the Elephant in the Room

My first reaction was the size of the screen we were in. Like, I mean the room. It was exceptionally small. I have a great track record of getting the seats I like but for this, I was over to the side. The interesting thing is the fact this didn’t at all impact the experience. The view was great and the 3D viewing wasn’t ruined at all. All a very positive start.

Price

It’s not the cheapest with tickets weighing in just shy of €20 (€18 for Cineworld members). But that number got me thinking. I was singing the praises of the Stella not too long ago and to put your arse in a seat there costs €19.

If the experience is good enough, it could be great value. So what’s it like?

The 4DX Experience

I was so apprehensive about how worthwhile 4DX would be, especially after the price I paid for tickets. I thought this would be another massive gimmick to squeeze money out of me; like €6 popcorn.

As I sat down, I convinced myself it would take something special to convince me and that convincing started with a button on my seat:

“Maybe this is going to be cool”, I thought to myself. Sure enough, it is!

4DX: Worth the Hype

Well, that might be misleading because I’m not even sure there has been much hype around 4DX and that surprises me. Cineworld’s 4DX experience is brilliant and you can tell a lot of effort has gone into it from building the screen to programming the augmented reality that you’ll be put through.

As helicopters fly over trees, your seat pitches to match the choppers flight and the smell of trees is spread from the back of the seat in front of you.

During the actions scenes, your seat really comes to life. There’s one scene where two dinos go head to head and I was being viciously thrown around my seat. Another scene caught me off guard too. I was getting used to the spray of water simulating rain, but when one character had dino blood splashed on his face, that also prompted a squirt in mine. Gross reality and maybe a little questionable for a movie rated suitable for twelve-year-olds; but again, I loved it.

4DX Limitations: Pick Your Movie Carefully

The 4DX experience isn’t tailored to every single movie. By that I mean, there are a limited number of additions the system can make to your cinema experience. For example, 4DX can apparently combine various odours to make over one thousand different smells, but I didn’t pick up on any really except the attempt to get a smell of trees.

I guess, if you’re paying extra for the experience, they want to give you your money’s worth, but another problem comes when there are quiet parts in the movie. Some uses of the effects are forced and don’t really align with what’s going on with the screen.

Then there’s the 3D element too. Not all 4DX movies will be shown in 3D, but that does add to the experience too; but never as much as you think. I often think the best 3D thing in the cinema is the 3D logo at the start; movies themselves tend to disappoint on that front.

Finally, with both of these in mind, 4DX will only improve certain movies. Deadpool 2 was previously shown in 4DX and while I watched it in 2D I really can’t imagine how augmented reality would have improved the movie at all.

Pick your movie carefully. Actually, if I’m honest, just go to Jurassic Park. The movie itself isn’t great but you’ll get an ok movie even if most of it is completely predictable. Regardless, it feels like the movie was created for 4DX. You get to experience most of what the system can offer and it does genuinely add a layer of excitement to what is otherwise a ‘meh’ movie.

The 4DX Review: Verdict

It’ll cost you an extra few bob, but going to the cinema is expensive anyway. Adding a new layer to your cinema-going experience can genuinely make it feel like money well spent. Will I be going to every movie I can in 4DX? No, not at all. It just doesn’t make sense.

However, if there’s another great action movie that comes out that’s probably just a little bit too shit to justify going to see on its own, this could get my arse into a cinema seat. If you’re on the fence and wondering if it’s worth it, Jurassic World is likely the best movie to showcase what 4DX has to offer and will be for some time.

 

 

The Next Generation of Voice Assistant: Google Duplex

Jon
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The Next Generation of Voice Assistant: Google Duplex

While the resident Apple heads here have been all about Apple’s annual WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference) some us have been keeping an eye out of what the kind fellows of Google have been up to. During the Google annual developer conference held a couple of weeks ago the company previewed Google Duplex. Some have said it’s creepy, others have debated the privacy implications and others have talked jobs, while there is a lot we still need to learn about artificial intelligence it is clear Google Duplex is a truly fascinating technology.

So What is Google Duplex?

Ok, so basically Google Duplex is the tech behind the latest Google Assistant feature. It’s a completely automated system that has the ability to make calls on your behalf. While that sounds impressive by itself, this new tech will do it all with a completely natural sounding human voice.

Image result for robotic voice

Remember the frustrations you had the first time you used Google Assistant, the monotone voice of Siri or the specific commands of Alex? These days could already soon be a thing of the past as the humanoid voice assistant will not only sound like the real deal, it can understand human speech better than anything we have seen before. According to the Googlers, Duplex is able to understand complex sentences, faster speech, colloquial interactions and longer remarks. AKA talk to the machine like you talk to your mate, Duplex will understand.

Right now Google Duplex can only do 3 tasks, schedule a hair appointment, make reservations at a restaurant and get holiday hours of a business. Though that might not sound like much right now, the possibilities in the future are endless, just think about it all those phone calls to banks or customer care lines will eventually be done without you, just tell Google to take care of it. Finally a true personal assistant in your pocket, EPIC!!!

Beyond that, if the business you want to make an booking with accepts online reservations you can get the Assistant to do it for you, just say when.

And how does it work?

Well we could go into the detail and talk you through it……or you could just watch the clip below for yourself. Just skip in about 45 seconds ????

That’s a bit creepy

Ya you would be right to say that Google Duplex seems a little creepy. The little things like the Mmm-hh’s, Ah’s and Oh’s just make the robot seems more human and that can be a little unnerving. The idea of not knowing whether your’e talking to a computer, a robot or a real person can seem a bit too Westworld for some people and this has raised some privacy concerns. In fairness to Google, they have said they will be informing those on the other end of any call in the interest of transparency.

While it may seem creepy right now, the fact remains that this type of technology is going nowhere and we are bound to become more accustomed to interacting with Artificial Intelligence as is develops. But don’t worry that time is not now, at the conference Google said that the Duplex addition of Google Assistant will only be launching as a beta version this summer. So for now I guess i’ll be making my own calls.

Nokia Steel HR Review: A Wearable Like No Other

Goosed.ie Team
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Nokia Steel HR Review: A Wearable Like No Other

Just over a year ago I took the plunge and bought myself a fitness tracker. Finding the right one was no easy task and after three months comparing style, size, battery life and activity tracking I settled on a Nokia Steel HR. One year later I’m still extremely happy with my watch and here’s why.

Style

A big plus for the Steel HR is that it isn’t a chunky digital wristband – it’s a hybrid. This means that it looks like a traditional watch, and quite a stylish watch I might add, but it also does most of what you would expect from a traditional fitness tracker.

nokia steel hr review

Before buying I wondered whether it would suit a smaller ladies wrist – it does, perfectly. The Steel HR comes in both white and black and at 36mm it is 7mm smaller than the Garmin Vivomove HR. I opted for the white version and coupled it with a brown leather strap. There are plenty of generic straps available on Amazon so it can be easily customised to suit your own style.

There are two additions to the watch face which in no way clutters the traditional look. The first is a small circular LCD screen which fits neatly between the 11 and 1 marks on the watch. It isn’t obvious that it is a screen and it remains off until you get a call, text or calendar notification. There is also a second circular dial between the 5 and 7 which tracks your daily steps up to 100% of your goal.

I didn’t think to compliment someone’s watch was a thing but I’ve gotten a lot of compliments from colleagues and friends. Of course, I enthusiastically show them it’s not just a watch which then leads to lots of “Oh wow cool!”.

Functionality

Ok, so the Steel HR looks like a watch but does it live up to being a fitness tracker? It does, and it doesn’t.

Session Tracking

The way I view the tracking functionality of the Steel HR is that it records that you’ve done certain activities and is useful for keeping track of the fact that you’ve done something active. This is what you could call “session recording”. However, the data recorded is not going to show your progress in enough detail for you to analyse.

Let me explain what I mean: I am an avid runner and I like to challenge myself, improve my times and track my run so I can see where I speed up or where I fall behind my average pace so I know what to work on. Unfortunately, this is not something you can do with the Steel HR. Although it automatically tracks running, there is no GPS built in so it is not 100% accurate. For example, a recent 5km run was recorded as 4.5km. While my Heart rate was tracked throughout the run and charted on a graph, my speed wasn’t recorded in the same way. In order to track my progress in the detail, I want I still use an independent app on my phone.

Another “session” I record with the Steel HR is weights. To record something like this, you just hold down the little button on the side of the watch which starts a manually recorded session. The watch vibrates to let you know the session has started and a timer appears on the small circular LED screen. When you’re finished you simply push the button again. The session is uploaded to the app with detail such as length of time and heart rate. Any time afterwards you just go to the app on your phone and pick the type of session it was. There are currently 36 activities to choose from which include the likes of basketball, golf, yoga and Zumba.

Step Counting

One of the most useful functions the Steel HR has is step counting. While this is the most basic function that every fitness tracker can do, the advantage that the Steel HR has over other fitness trackers is that you don’t take it off because it is your watch.

step counter

Fitness trackers often end up in the bottom of a drawer after a few months but you become dependent on the actual watch function of the Steel HR so you don’t take it off.

Steel HR Battery Life

Also encouraging you not to take the Steel HR off is the battery life. The fact that a single charge only takes around two hours and lasts almost a full month is kind of refreshing and removes your feeling of dependency of always having to be near a power source. As the battery nears 0%, it will start dialling down some tracking functions such as heart rate so that the battery will last another few days.

Sleep Tracking

The Steel HR also has a sleep tracking functionality which breaks your sleep down into deep and light sleep. I’ve noticed that I feel tired during the day if I only get a certain amount of deep sleep the night before regardless of whether my total sleep was seven hours or four hours. I’ve found the breakdown of types of sleep to be quite accurate and although the watch doesn’t improve my sleep, being able to track it has made me realise the importance of “quality sleep”.

sleep breakdown

The only issue I have is that sometimes it doesn’t record the start of my sleep accurately – if I am lying on my bed watching Netflix it thinks I’ve gone to sleep and while you could forgive it for this, there is no ability to edit the recorded sleep data in the app.

Heart Rate Tracking

As the name suggests, the Steel HR tracks and graphs your heart rate throughout the day and night as well as during workouts. While I liked checking my heart rate at first, the novelty soon wore off and I don’t really find the Heart Rate function useful at all.

Notifications

Remember the small LCD screen I mentioned earlier? This displays text, phone and calendar notifications and a subtle vibrating buzz alert you to new notifications. It’s unfortunate that there is no integration with the likes of WhatsApp or Gmail but then again do you really want all those WhatsApp groups buzzing on your arm every 2 minutes?

The small button at the side of the watch can be pressed to display and scroll through metrics such as steps, current heart rate, distance and battery life.

Health Mate App

Nokia has greatly improved on the original Withings design of the Health Mate App and the Steel HR syncs with it seamlessly in the background. The app itself is easy to navigate and there are daily and weekly summaries of sleep tracking, steps tracking and heart rate and workout sessions. Where the app could be improved is in providing more in-depth statistics about workouts. The Health Mate App also syncs with any of the Nokia Body Scales but you can also manually track your weight with it if you want. If you have friends that also have a Steel HR or a Steel then you can link them through the app and compete in a steps challenge.

Verdict

Why a Nokia Steel HR? Simple, it doesn’t look like a piece of tech but still records workout and sleep data. Just be comfortable with the fact that you won’t get in-depth detail about your workouts. It looks great on both men and women and it’s easy to customise with interchangeable straps. It has a vibrating alarm and receives call and text notifications, however, there is no WhatsApp or Gmail integration yet.

The heart rate function works but I found it to be a bit of a novelty. The battery life is better than any other fitness tracker on the market with one charge keeping you going for a month. It’s also waterproof so it doesn’t matter if you forget to take it off in the shower or when you go swimming.

Nokia Steel HR: Pros and Cons

Pro’s

Con’s
At least 25 day battery life and only 2 hours to charge. Have to use the special charger that comes with the watch.
Records exercise sessions with Heart Rate detail. Easy to start / stop workouts. No GPS and does not record enough detail for fitness advocates to analyse.
Handy vibrating alarm function. Can only set 1 alarm.
Notifications of incoming calls and texts. Does not link with any other messaging app eg. WhatsApp / Gmail
Records and charts deep and light sleep. Can’t edit sleep data afterwards – sometimes sees inactivity in the evening time as sleep.
Clear LCD mini display (updated when Nokia started making the watches – previous Withings versions had an issue with condensation).  
Syncs with phone no problem via Bluetooth.  
Stylish, looks like a watch and suits small wrists.  
Interchangeable watch straps.  
App much improved over the last few months and constant updates  
Can record plenty of different activities.  
Can manually record weight in the app or use one of the Nokia Body Scales.  
You can challenge friends with Nokia tracking devices eg. Steps challenge.  
Waterproof to 5 ATM.  

 

 

WWDC18: Everything About the Next Suite of Apple Updates

Neal
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WWDC18: Everything About the Next Suite of Apple Updates

Summer is finally here, and the reason we know that for sure is that Apple has just opened the doors to their annual June WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference). In the opening keynote speech, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and his fellow Apple Execs announced a myriad of new software features coming this Autumn across all platforms. This year’s keynote only focused on new software features so unlike some previous years, we had no new hardware announced. Don’t go anywhere just yet hardware fans. There was plenty to get excited about on the software front and below is a summary of all the main announcements:

iOS 12

Apple traditionally has a great record in supporting their products with free software and security updates for many years, far beyond their Android rivals. iOS 12 is no exception. It is due to be released this Autumn and will be available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod and the same devices that run iOS 11 will run iOS 12; here’s the full list of supported devices.

This year Apple has promised iOS 12 will have a big focus on performance and responsiveness, promising apps will launch 40% faster and the camera app will launch 70% faster on older phones. Of course, all of this is very welcome news, but we do like new toys to play with and thankfully we did see plenty of new features announced. Here are the best bits :

Siri

A new feature called Shortcuts. Any app can expose quick actions to Siri e.g. say “I lost my keys” and Siri will automatically open your Tile app to find your keys. You can create your own shortcuts using the new Shortcuts App. Siri will also offer suggestions based on your schedule, app usage, emails etc.

Notifications

Updated with new tuning tool & grouped notifications, finally.

ARKit 2.0

Performance improvements, multiplayer support and improved face tracking.

Multi-user AR Augmented Reality also arrives i.e. two users can see the same object and share the AR experience together.

Apple worked with Pixar to create a new file format for AR called USDZ bringing features such as Optimized for sharing, Open-file Format, Compact single File & Universal Scene Description.

Apple showcased a new in house developed App called Measure which allows you to easily measure real world objects. Pretty useful for the amateur DIY enthusiasts no doubt and takes inspiration from a popular existing AR app.

Screen Time

A new App that provides a weekly overview of your iPhone usage. You can set time limits for certain apps and it will tell you when you have reached this limit. Parents will be given tools to monitor their children’s phone usage and can set allowances/limits and various other controls.

Group FaceTime

Up to 32 people can participate. It automatically expands the tile of the person speaking or you can manually highlight a person to make their tile larger. Facetime is beginning to have features found in dedicated telecommunication products/services.

Photos

Improvements to the Search tool making it much more powerful. A new Tab called ‘For You’ with suggestions using AI to identify your friends in a photo and share it with them easily.

Animoji updates

Memoji means you can create an Animoji of yourself. There are also new messaging effects.

Car Play

Now supports 3rd party navigation apps e.g. Google Maps.

Apple Books

Reading Now feature & a redesigned Books Store.

Do Not Disturb

Updated with bedtime feature so you can turn notifications off.

Apple News and Stock App

Updated and Integrated together.

But it wasn’t all about phones.

macOS 10.14 Next version is called Mojave

Very much an iterative update with the emphasis on Security/Privacy updates and some new features. Tim Cook said, ‘Apple loves the Mac’ and despite what many analysts predict, he explicitly said they have no plans to merge macOS & iOS.  Here’s the list of the main new features in MacOS Mojave:

Dark Mode

Expanding on the existing limited dark mode, It not only turns the UI dark, it also switches the wallpaper, the window chrome, and the content of windows(where 3rd party apps support it).

Security Controls and Safari Privacy

Greater protection on how apps handle/use your data, similar to controls within iOS. Much more control over your privacy whilst browsing in Safari e.g. you can turn off social media links within websites.

Redesigned App Store

Mirroring the redesigned app store from iOS11, new features such as app preview, curated apps and app of the day now appear in a much more modern UI.

Desktop Stacks, Dynamic Desktop, Quick Look, Finder updates, Apple News, Stocks & Voice Memos apps.

Homekit App

Now at last on the Mac. This means you can control your Homekit devices form your Mac without having to pickup your iPhone.

Watch OS Announcements

watchOS 5 is big on activity and connection improvements. Best bits include:

Podcasts App

Syncs across all your apple devices.

Activity App Updated

Yoga, hiking and automatic workout detection along with start and end.

Walkie Talkie

New App allows you to chat to a friend like a walkie talkie!

Siri Watchface Updated

Siri Shortcuts – Similar to the iOS new feature

Along with all these innovations, Apple Watch users will also enjoy:

  • 3rd Party apps on watch face
  • Raise your wrist to talk to Siri. No more “Hey Siri”
  • Notifications improvements
  • Apple Watch app support Students ID’s
  • Customizable Control Center

And If You’re An Apple TV Owner – tvOS 12

tvOS 11.4 brought Airplay 2 just recently but Apple saved some new features for their next major update with tvOS 12. Here are the highlights:

Dolby Atmos

Now supported. Apple TV is now the only streaming device that supports both Dolby Atmos & Vision.

Zero Sign-on

New feature which works in supported apps.

Aerial Screensaver

Featuring footage from the ISS(International Space Station).

Video Assistant Referee: What’s the Craic with VAR?

Jon
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0
Video Assistant Referee: What’s the Craic with VAR?

It’s January and in the football world that means one thing. Transfer window. Unless your me of course. I have spent the last month or so fascinated by the new movement within the game and yes I’m talking VAR. After years of calls for video tech to be brought into the sport… something us Irish were calling for since “That French Incident”, we are finally starting to see VAR.

Currently the video assistant referee is in use in both the Bundesliga and Serie A, while it has been tried in recent Carabao and FA cup games in England. The success to be fair has been varied but it’s not going anywhere soon.

So what exactly is VAR? here is all you need to know about the big tech change coming in football.

What is Video Assistant Referee or VAR?

Ok, so let’s start with the basics here. VAR is made up of a team of three who’s job it is to work together to review decisions made by a match referee through video replays. Nice and simple really.

Each team is to be made up of a current/former referee, an assistant and a video operator. Rather than being touchside and the fourth official, these guys will be in the safety of a nice warm room full of video equipment for them to review any of the four following incidents:

  1. Goals or violations in the play prior to the goal
  2. Penalties
  3. Red Cards
  4. Mistaken identity when awarding a card

A referee will still have the overall power though as for a decision to be overturned it will have to be a “clear error”. Something like this for example:

Still hurts every… single…time! Anyway the process for reviewing a decision can work in two ways; either the referee can request a review after making a decision or the VAR team can recommend one. This is where it get’s a bit sticky for me, when reviewing an incident made by the VAR team, the ref will watch the incident themselves on the touchline. I personally think taking a leaf from other sports and using the big screens in the stadium would be a better idea. Fans can see the incident for themselves, the delay in play wouldn’t feel the same as players and fans alike view the tape and everyone feels better about the referee decision, but hey what would I know.

Is VAR in use right now?

Confederations Cup

Yup, it sure is. Before the big wigs at FIFA write VAR into the rule book it needed to be tested. The first nations to adopt the tech were Australia (A- League) and the States (MLS) while the recent underage national tournaments all showcased the new technology.

The VAR showed that Kelechi Iheanacho was actually onside

The idea is to slowly but surely integrate it at the top level of football, working out all the bugs before this Summers World Cup. Currently the German Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A are using VAR and the English FA are using it in the Carabao and FA cups before the Premier League begins using the new age technology from next season.

After a bit of digging we found out that VAR is currently in use in the Premier League, well kind of. The head referee (not his official title) Mike Riley had this to say:

“We have trialled using video assistant referees for a number of Premier League games so far this season. This has been in a non-live environment, which means there has been no contact with the match officials at the games. We will continue with these trials throughout the season.”

So does it work?

Right now, that depends on who you ask. During the Confederations Cup the system picked up 35 incidents, 6 of which would be deemed game changing. Basically without VAR results would have been determined through errors or false refereeing decisions and the outcome of the tournament as a whole could have been completely different.

However, it isn’t all positive as there have been a number of players and coaches who have complained about the time taken to review decisions and the way that causes confusion and brings a halt to the play. Again as I said earlier delays wouldn’t seem so bad if the stadiums big screens were used…..just saying.

It is early days for VAR and teething issues are always to be expected so rather than explaining this myself here’s a quote by legendary Italian ‘keeper Gianluigi Buffon:

“They are overusing it and making mistakes. I don’t like it this way, it’s not good, It’s something which, if used sparingly, could give us excellent results and be a good thing for football.”

Conclusion

The video assistant referee or VAR is here to stay, that much is a given. Having seen plenty of huge sporting occasions ruined by the human error, I for one think this the use of technology in football is well over due. Yes, there are bugs in the system that need to be fleshed out but at the end of the day Ireland would have been to another major competition if this tech had been in use sooner. I really need to let that one go but you get my point.

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