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Can I Use Amazon Prime in Ireland?

Marty
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Can I Use Amazon Prime in Ireland?

Online shopping is more popular than ever, though Amazon Prime in Ireland has yet to really take off. This is likely owing to the fact that it’s a primarily UK based company and service, but Irish shoppers can benefit from it too.

What is Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime is a premium service offered by Amazon, where users pay an annual or monthly fee to the online shopping giant for a few perks. These perks include one-day delivery, discounted prices, Prime Video (similar to Netflix), Prime Music (similar to Spotify) and Amazon Pantry, for purchasing everyday groceries.

Amazon.co.uk is the nearest Amazon site which offers these services and Irish shoppers can use some of the services with some only available thanks to a few tricks and workarounds.

Why is Using Amazing Prime in Ireland Complicated?

As I’ve alluded to above, Amazon Prime is a UK based service. That means in order to benefit you should be living in the UK. Thankfully there are workarounds which allow you to enjoy next day shopping and discounts on selected products.

Amazon Ireland work around amazon free UK delivery to Ireland

In recent years, given Ireland’s unique geographical situation with the UK, virtual UK addresses have become increasingly popular. Delivery providers such as Parcel Motel, Parcel Wizard and most recently An Post, allow shoppers access to a virtual UK address which will ultimately route packages to your standard Irish address. This service is offered for a nominal fee.

What are the benefits of shopping on Amazon Prime in Ireland

I first tried out Amazon Prime while doing my Christmas shopping. I was able to buy some really random presents that went down a treat. This was made possible by the shear volume of items that Amazon.co.uk has at its disposal.

Also, given the time of year, it was important I could be assured all my packages would arrive in time to be wrapped. The speed at which orders landed into Parcel Motel was simply amazing. Most of the items, even after the cost of a stay in Parcel Motel and shipping from the UK were substantially cheaper than shopping on the high street.

How much does shopping with Amazon Prime in Ireland cost?

The total cost of each order will vary a small bit, but as I mentioned above, it’s usually much cheaper than standard high street shopping. Down to some crafty timing, I did all my Christmas shopping with the Amazon Prime Trial. That meant I got all the benefits of a premium account for free. Once you sign up for the trial you can even cancel it immediately and still enjoy the full 30 days of premium membership.

Once you have finished your free Prime trial, you can choose a subscription that suits you. Amazon has softened up their structure a little but. Previously, you could only sign up for the service annually at a cost of £79 (around €100). Now, to compete with the likes of Netflix payment structures, you can pay monthly and get Amazon Prime with Prime Video for just £7.99 per month. To you and me, that’s about €9.50 per month.

Read on as we demonstrate how you actually save a fortune by adopting Amazon Prime.

How much can you save with Amazon Prime?

When you are shopping on Amazon in Ireland, free shipping is often an option on certain items. On others, you can expect to pay anywhere up between €15 and €25 for delivery alone for an average order. For this type of order, you will also be getting standard shipping, meaning you will likely be waiting over a week.

If you opt to shop with Amazon Prime in Ireland, you will get free next day shipping to your virtual UK address. Being realistic, this is two-day shipping as it does need to be relayed around a little. The price of a package staying in Parcel Motel is €3.95, so if you were to have a few packages a year delivered from Amazon UK to Ireland, you’d be saving money pretty quickly. On top of that, you’ll often see Amazon Prime items offer some sort of small discount on the normal price too.

Can Irish customers return items to Amazon.co.uk?

Fortunately, I can vouch for the returns process being brilliant. If something breaks or needs to be returned, Amazon doesn’t care that you purchased using a virtual address. Services such as Parcel Motel provide a reverse system where you can return items, though remember this will cost a couple of euros. I can testify to Amazon’s brilliant customer care though, as they did refund me the cost of my order and any Parcel Motel costs that were incurred in returning the item.

Summary of shopping with Amazon Prime in Ireland

While the process may not seem straight forward at first, there are huge benefits to shopping on Amazon Prime even if you are living in Ireland. If in doubt, why not head on over to Amazon and try out a free 30-day trial? I can personally vouch for the whole experience being great, though be warned you’re likely to end up buying items you never even thought you needed.

Best Mobile Multiplayer Games To Play With Your Friends

Dean
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Best Mobile Multiplayer Games To Play With Your Friends

A lot of the time when you’re at home on your phone you’re probably either scrolling through Facebook, creeping on Snapchat or Instagramming your dinner. Well, there are better apps on the App Store that allow you to game online with your friends. And some aren’t overly complicated like games such as Ruinscape or Clash of Clans. We here at Goos3D are going to give ye a few ideas that are easy on the mind and very enjoyable at the same time.

Words With Friends

The all time classic game of Scrabble. No matter how far technology has come, it has always stood the test of time. A lot of people have made a tradition of whipping out this destroyer of friendships at Christmas and other occasions. Now you can play it online with your friends. Words With Friends keeps Scrabble as simple as it always was. You get your letters which are each worth points and you make words until they’re all gone. The most points when your letters are gone wins. Generally, when someone gets a 100 pointer, that is around the time when

Generally, when someone gets a 100 pointer is around the time when friendships start to disintegrate and dictionaries get pulled out. And you have a chat section so that you can troll your opponent when you’re winning. There are no time limits so you can literally go hours or days without playing a move. I have actually deleted and reinstalled the app months later and my existing games were still active on the account.

This game needs a small amount of brain power but is very handy if you’re at the NCT centre and need to pass an hour.

Rating: 4/5

QuizUp

QuizUp is a quiz game that does what it says on the tin. It offers quizzes on hundreds of different categories. From general knowledge to movies like Star Wars, TV shows like the Simpsons and wider categories like Sport. The list goes on. You can challenge friends in real time to any topic and basically the person to finish fastest with the most points wins.

This game can suck you in for hours as you try and prove to your friend that you are smarter than them. And like Words with friends, there are chat rooms to go back and forth with your opponent about who’s got the bigger brain. This is a great game no matter what your field is and anyone can enjoy it.

Rating: 4/5

The game only losing points because it generally works best when both people are online at the same time.

Evil Apples

It literally started a riot when I started playing with friends

Probably the best craic for online fun with your friends on this list. Inspired by Cards Against Humanity, Evil Apples will really put your funny and filthy minds to the test. You can have as many people play in one game as you want. You all get cards with phrases on them as you must finish a given phrase. It usually ends up in nonsensical sentences, but one player from the group gets to pick the one they find funniest, and the first person to seven points wins. This game is brilliant when ye are in different houses but if ye are having a few drinks some night this is the best game to set the tone for the night.

The only downside is all players must be on at once to make the game enjoyable for everyone, but it’s definitely worth going online for. It’s an instant mood booster.

Rating: 5/5

I know I mentioned everyone has to be online at once, but it’s such a good game you have to try it to understand the sheer craic you get from it.

Basketball Stars

Probably the best online multiplayer basketball game you’ll find on a smartphone. Basketball Stars lets you play one on one with your friends or with random players around the world. You gamble fake money in games to upgrade your avatar. It’s super easy to learn the controls to dribble and shoot. There are always thousands of people online for you to play against and you can also play solo mode which is also pretty enjoyable.

The only downside is that it has been known to glitch and can cost you games.

Rating: 3.5/5

It’s good when you have a few minutes to kill, but the glitching takes away from it a bit.

Poker Stars

Who doesn’t like a bit of Poker? Register and get a game going with your friends on the very user-friendly app. We fancy the odd flutter here and there as you may have already read. If none of your friends are online you can always join a random table of Sit and Go and join a table for a few minutes and leave to kill some time. No major faults with this app except for if you get caught offline for a couple of minutes in the middle of a game you could lose out on a few chips, but them’s the rules.

Rating: 4/5

It can be a bit glitchy but if you have good internet where you’re playing you should be good.

Bonus: Premier League Fantasy Football App

It’s that time of the year again. The footie’s back and you know what that means? Time to get the fantasy football team back together. The Premier League App is actually quite handy and works really well. I used it all last year and had no major issues. The most annoying part is waiting for the bonus points and table updates at the end of the weekend, but that’s not going to be the difference between playing fantasy and not.

It’s dead easy to make your transfers and switch between leagues while scoping out other players’ teams. A lot of people stop playing fantasy after a month as they get lazy looking after their teams. But this app makes it so easy if you’re bored on the couch or at work and want to pass 10 minutes.

Rating: 5/5

I’ve used this for two years in a row and enjoy tinkering with my team before the weekend football because of this app.

 

Sony Xperia XZ Premium Review: This Is Living

Marty
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0
Sony Xperia XZ Premium Review: This Is Living

I’m a Samsung man. I used to be an iPhone man. My first ever brand-new smartphone was a HTC. But, back in the day, my first love was a Sony Ericsson K750i. I’m not sure what happened after that or why I never had a Sony again a question I’m asking myself ever more since I got to review the Sony Xperia XZ Premium.

sony xperia xz rear

Why Pick The Sony Xperia XZ Premium?

Picking a smartphone has become incredibly difficult these days. There’s a wide range of smartphones on the market from a load of different manufacturers, but that’s not the real problem. The real problem is that a lot of these phones are really similar. For that reason, I’m going to look at why you should pick the Xperia XZ Premium over any other phone on the market.

The Xperia Premium XZ Is Really Well Designed

Flagship smartphones are generally really well designed. The bigger the phones get, the harder it is to maintain great design. Personally, I’m a fan of big smartphones but even still, looking at the Xperia XZ Premium, I thought it was going to be too big. The rounded edges mean it sits really nicely in the hand and it’s got a lovely balance too.

sony xperia xz premium

Still, with so many smartphones on the market, manufacturers need to do better than balance. Sony implemented on stroke of genius with their mega-flagship phone. The power button, which more importantly doubles as a fingerprint scanner, is beautifully positioned on the side of the phone. Unlocking one-handed is incredibly natural. You might think this sounds like a minor feature, but this is the attention to detail that shows Sony has thought long and hard about the minor details.

Unlocking one-handed is incredibly natural. You might think this sounds like a minor feature, but this is the attention to detail that shows Sony has thought long and hard about the minor details.

xz premium mirror design-w1080

In a new world of phones trying to reduce bezel sizes around the screen, Sony built a beautiful lump of a phone. The button positioning and rounded edges ensure the phone is still comfortable to hold.

The only questionable element of the XZ Premium I tested was the mirror style design. Paw prints everywhere.

Sony Delivers Yet Another Stunning Camera

Like I said, I’m a Samsung man. I love the camera on my Galaxy S7 Edge. Even when I went to the park to take some test shots, I had a quick look and thought the two cameras were great. Then, I did a side-by-side comparison of the shots:

Sony Xperia XZ Camera Comparison

You can view a hi-res comparison over on Imgur, but the difference is incredible. The Galaxy S7 Edge 12MP Camera, which remember is a year older, appears washed out and doesn’t capture the same depth of colour. The Xperia XZ Premium captures vivid colours with a 19MP camera. Sony has always been known for stunning cameras, but it’s only now I really see it.

I took selfies of my lovely face but the difference between the Sony and the Samsung was negligible. Definitely not stunning enough to justify my face in glorious HD.

And The Other Bits

Remember I said there were certain bits that all smartphones just do now? Well the Sony Xperia XZ Premium packs an above-average battery that easily lasted me a day. That means it’ll last most people a day and a half to two days. It’s also water resistant for 30 minutes up to 1.5 meters and packs plenty of processing power. Like I said, all typical stuff these days.

But don’t let some of the mundane tick boxing take away from what I mentioned earlier. The Xperia XZ Premium is brilliantly designed and packs what is an amazing camera.

All in all, my couple of days with the Xperia XZ Premium was really enjoyable. That might sound a bit underwhelming but I can’t emphasise enough how much Sony had to do to impress me. A couple of years ago, when I was selling phones, some Sony phones were a nightmare. I’d sell one and it’d come straight back. The reason I mention this is because it’ll add to my final statement. Not only would I buy the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, I actually miss it.

Nokia 3310: The Good, The Bad And The Downright Disappointing

Jon
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0
Nokia 3310: The Good, The Bad And The Downright Disappointing

As we all know the Nokia 3310 has come back from the grave. Back in the day, we all owned one and we have all been very curious to see the new beast in action. While it won’t be replacing my Samsung S8 anytime soon it’s a fantastically awesome bit of kit to bring in the pocket during festival season.

Basically, our recommendation is simple: buy it for your Nan, your kid or as a spare. Just don’t expect it to become your sole device – it won’t. But at €60 I’ll happily stick it in my pocket for a weekend in a field with a bag of cans with the lads.

True to our word, here’s the good, the bad and the downright disappointing.

The Good

Battery

This is a given, surely? Without the big old touchscreen and all the trimmings that come with modern smartphones, the Nokia 3310 has a battery should last up to a month. On a single charge, to put that into context, that’ll probably 15 to 3fewerss charges per month vs any smartphone on the market.

This is obviously the big selling point for the 3310 and who can blame them. Simple and effective is all they are looking for. As I’ve said this phone has potential to be the festival maker.

No 3G at these events, your busy with your mates have the craic and whatever. The battery will see you through.

The Price

To be fair the Nokia 3310 is fairly cheap vs smartphones. However apart from maybe the Doro range, they are on the expensive side for a brick. Granted they look a damn sight better. So for €60 you can’t really go too far wrong.

Scenario A- Its clearly cheaper to replace than the phone your reading this on… true

Scenario B- Have you seen the Doro range? they are purpose built but they look hell nasty and granified. No way in hell while the 3310 is on the market will my mother be rocking anything other than the retro style icon.

Hard as Nails

Nokia’s have never before needed an OtterBox or any other case. So why start now? With a tough durable body, a plastic covered small display and everything else that comes with an old school Nokia 3310.

old and new nokia 3310 side by side

Basically volley that phone off a wall, bate it with a hurl or throw it at your little sister. The 3310 will be grand.

Kid Friendly

For any parent being able to contact your child is a big deal. As is internet safety and price for fear of loss or damage. It’s kids these things happen. By chance rather than plan the Nokia 3310 proves to be a great shout.

With literally zero internet access, a reasonable price and strong enough that you won’t have to pay to replace a cracked screen. The only thing you might have to fear is Snake, but I’ll get to that later.

Nostalgarama

2017 the year of the reboot, from classic PlayStation games, classic consoles like the SNES Mini and Atari, TV shows and now phones. This year has been great for bringing all the bits of years gone past into the modern era.
When you hold the Nokia 3310 you know you’re handling an icon of the industry. While it may look slightly different, it’s hard to not jump back into a time where monophonic ringtones blared from the back seats of buses up and down the country.
This came around in the days where “shifting young wans” was a thing all young lads tried to do and awkwardly enough. Messing around with the phone reminded me of some of the cringe texts I used to send when trying to lay on the charm. It was awful and that’s all I’m saying.
Before I move on though remember text speak?
Ugh no just no. Cutting out all the vowels to keep the message under 160 characters so you didn’t have to pay for two texts. Actually, a bit like Twitter really! Then Meteor changed that game.
In the name of good fun have a go deciphering this and tell us what movie this came from? Small hint: it came out the same year as the original Nokia 3310:
 “…Fthr 2a mrdrd sn. Hsbnd 2a mrdrd wiv. nd I wl av my vngance
, n dis lif r da nxt.” 

The Bad

Lack of covers

This might sound stupid but the things I don’t like about the Nokia 3310 I really don’t like. Seriously, whats with the complete lack of anything fun. We all had questionable choices of clip on fascias. Some looked class but if you were like me it was something like a football team crest, the word Eminem or something equally as dodge. Yea, I was one of them kids, not a proud fact but a fact none the less. Anyway when the world was covered in 3310’s each and everyone’s phone was totally customized and was apart of who they were.

I’m also just bitter that kids today don’t have the option to make as many bad choices as we did.

Lack of Apps

Stupid? Maybe, but the lack of a low level of internet access I feel hinders the Nokia 3310. Nobody texts anymore and only a chosen few even bother to call. The older generation is not happy to use smartphones because of the sheer volume of data. So hear me out, why can WhatsApp, Email and maybe Facebook not be preloaded apps here?

It would give the 3310 a nice holding ground for those who want to get more tech savvy without having to dive all the way in. It’s not bad we know brick phone and all that I just can’t shake the feeling Nokia have missed a trick here.

The Downright Disappointing

Snake

Bollox! This is not Snake and I am not happy about it. Whoever was in charge of this development should be fired and I want, no, expect heads to roll. First thing’s first. Two button controlling just make things boring. The snake moves in circular patterns and it’s just not right, it’s dull. The one and only thing that made the phone vaguely fun to use has been murdered and I for one am less than happy.

But that’s just me being bitter. All in all the phone is built exactly for purpose. No 3G, no Wi-Fi or any of that other fancy stuff like apps. So the Nokia 3310 ain’t going to change the world but it’s cheap, the battery lasts forever and you won’t have to teach your Nan how to use it.

The Nokia 3310 is available from a couple of places in Ireland like most phone shops and Littlewoods Ireland if you’re looking to get it SIM free. If you’re looking for the best price though, you can also pick it up on Amazon.co.uk and use Parcel Motel to get it delivered to Ireland. These are generally SIM free too.

Technology In Football: Celebrating 25 Years Of Premiership Football

Marty
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0
Technology In Football: Celebrating 25 Years Of Premiership Football

That “grand stretch in the evening” has turned inside-out which means Premier League football is on the way back. 2017 is a big year too as it marks 25 years of the Premier League, founded in 1992. Which got me thinking. The pitches might be the same size and the transfer fees bigger, but how much has Premier League technology and football’s technology, in general, has changed over the years?

Linesman’s Flag

There are some subtle things you might not notice in football. For example, did you know a linesman only covers one and one side of the pitch?

No linesman is complete without their flag. There are even some very strict rules on how the flag should be held when running. Back when the Premier League was created, flags were used to catch the attention of the ref and signal, semaphore style, as to what the problem was. Today, a linesman’s flag costs over €250 a pop. Why? because they can buzz the referee to notify them of an event in the game. While it’s pricey, it’s not as hilarious as the solution they found to wire up fourth officials.

When the extra officials got added behind the goals, they needed the same tech as linesmen without the flag. The solution was simple – the magic wand. A great example of “if it’s stupid and it works, it ain’t stupid”. I could be wrong, but surely it’s just a typical flag without the flag right?

Radios For The Officials

While the technology in flags is less than impressive, radios are very useful. The main limitation of flag signals was an inability to provide in-depth details of problems. Now, all major officials in Premier League games can communicate with each other. Well, they can communicate if they want to that is:

Video Assistant Referees

Many said it would never happen, but the success of having a video referee in rugby has finally spilt over into football. Video Assistant Referees (VARs) were tested out at the 2017 Confederations Cup, receiving mixed reviews.

Some believe it breaks up the play too much, but at the same time, it can mean the difference between winning and losing. In time, TV editors will have cut backs to studio and analysis for the breaks and they’ll barely be noticeable. In the stadium, there’ll be more mascots and problem solved.

Here’s how the system works:

Pitch-Side Advertising and Virtual Advertising

One of the more recent and coolest innovations in football would be almost impossible for you to spot. Advertising, which started out with simple boards pitch-side, is a massive source of revenue for clubs. To fit more advertisers in, these were upgraded to rolling ads and eventually LED ad boards. What you might not have noticed was the next cool step.

Football, Premier League football in particular, has attracted a global following. As you can imagine, Thai Liverpool supporters have little interest in what Barclay Bank offer in England. Virtual Advertising allows regional-based advertising for TV viewers. Seriously, unless you see this working you wouldn’t believe it.

Localised advertising is probably less jarring for international viewers but it also means more revenue for clubs. Which, going by the price of Neymar, is being spent responsibly.

Goal Line Technology

Goal Line Technology is, of course, the best-known innovation in football over the years. Seven hi-speed cameras stare at each goal to paint a digital 3D picture which knows where the football is at all times. Within a second of the ball crossing the goal line, the system sends a signal to the referee’s watch to inform them of a goal. It takes a lot of calibrating and isn’t foolproof, but it’s pretty impressive none-the-less.

The Goal Decision Watch, worn by the referee and linked to the Goal Line Technology, is the recognisable orange watch on the ref’s wrist:

orange watch worn by refs

Bonus Clip: 

Raging this story was before the Premier League. Back in the 1989/90 season referee David Elleray was mic’d up for a game between Arsenal and Millwall. The results were hilarious:

Practical Uses Of AI: Keeping Up With New Craft Beer Names

Marty
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Practical Uses Of AI: Keeping Up With New Craft Beer Names

Two things cannot be denied today:

  1. The potential impact of Artificial intelligence grows every day
  2. The selection of craft beers in Ireland is astonishing

Now, watch as I spin these two completely separate topics into one.

The Incredible Growth Of Craft Beers In Ireland

It’s estimated that Ireland has 90 microbreweries creating sweet tasty craft beers. That’s a whopping four-times the number from 2012. That’s why your recent trip to the off-licence was like browsing an old style sweet shop.

craft beers in irish off-license

With so many craft beers on the market, off-license fridges are jam-packed with a multitude of colourful cans and bottles. Even more creative than the packaging is many of the beers’ names. Everything from Galway Bay’s Of Foam and Fury to White Gypsy American Pale Ale, it’s only a matter of time until we run out of beer names. Unless… unless we become superhuman.

Using AI To Name Craft Beers

Janelle Shane is one of those amazing nerds who learns incredible skills but uses them for fun. We love her because she makes new technology like AI really relatable, using it to name Pokémon and create ancient proverbs. One of her latest experiments uses neural networks to generate names for craft beers. She was inspired to try this out after she read that US microbreweries are genuinely struggling to create new names for their craft beers.

Neural networks are really similar to artificial intelligence. They learn from huge collections of data to generate new material. For example, Janelle used hundreds of thousands of beer names in this experiment. Here are our favourites from the list of AI generated craft beer names:

IPA: Toe Deal

The beautiful fragrance of feet with the rush of gambling. Toe Deal would be a beautiful IPA should it exist. Personally, that’s one of my favourite labels too. Look at him there. Big toe dealer.

 

toe deal AI generated beer name with neural networks

Strong Pale Ale: Third Maus

Surely the one and only Deadmau5 could license a few crates of this for his next tour?

craft beers AI generated beer name with neural networks

 

Amber Ales: Ricia’s Donkey Brain

Some say Ricia’s developed the recipe for her Amber Ales by accident after blowing up a stil.

Ricias donkey brain craft beers AI generated beer name with neural networks

Stouts: Sir Coffee

All the class of a craft beer crossed with the subtlety of a Starbucks Coffee. Sir Coffee is the choice of craft beer drinkers who need a nap.

Sir Coffee craft beers AI generated beer name with neural networks

Stouts: Black Sink Stout

The pint of choice for plumbers around Ireland. Ironically, Black Sink Stout will do fierce damage to your plumbing.

black sink stout craft beers AI generated beer name with neural networks

Stouts: Pimperdiginistic The Blacksmith W/ Cherry Stout

Running local prostitution rings is a dying trade, which leaves many pimps branching out into other areas, like shoeing horses and shaping replica swords.

pimp blacksmith craft beers AI generated beer name with neural networks

Stouts: Cherry Coconut Mint Chocolate Stout

Bless the machine learning powered neural networks for this effort. It’s like they wrapped a bottle in velcro and chucked it into a barrel of craft beer related words. The result: Cherry Coconut Mint Chocolate Stout. A mouthful to say but I’d imagine that’s the only mouthful you’ll experience with this drunk.

Cherry Coconut Mint Chocolate Stout craft beers AI generated beer name with neural networks

IPA: Yamquak

Ok, so we took liberties with this one. First of all, yes yams are practically sweet potatoes. No, they don’t quack, but the chance to place a beak on a yam was just too much for me to ignore.

yam quack craft beers AI generated beer name with neural networks

What do you think of AI’s attempts to name craft beers? Personally, I think they did pretty good. You can read the full list over on Janelle’s site where she let’s neural networks be weird. Let us know in the comments what you think, or if you could do better yourself.

 

Amazon Prime Video in Ireland: Everything You Need To Know And What’s On

Marty
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1
Amazon Prime Video in Ireland: Everything You Need To Know And What’s On

With the rip-roaring success of the Top Gear inspired Grand Tour, Amazon Prime Video has officially landed in Ireland. While slow to launch an official Irish Amazon store which led to this our virtual UK address trick, Amazon’s increased activity means they’re is really pushing their video streaming service in Ireland. You’ll have spotted their ads on TV and on buses but with no shortage of services vying for your money, here’s what you need to know about Amazon Prime Video.

How much does it cost?

There are a couple of ways you can enjoy Amazon Prime Video. If you are only interested in Amazon Prime Video, it will cost you €5.99 per month. To celebrate the Irish launch you can enjoy your first six months for just €2.99 per month. If you are already an Amazon Prime customer, video streaming is included.

Unfortunately, to get the most out of Amazon Prime Video, you’ll need to contact customer care. They’ll update your location settings with the taking about five minutes. It’s time well spent as it unlocks loads more content for you to enjoy.

How can I watch Amazon Prime Video?

The most popular methods to view Amazon Prime Video is with your laptop, smartphone or tablet. You will be able to stream on devices like Xbox One but often will need to set your console to the UK to get the app. For now, if you have something like an Android box, you’re laughing.

To sweeten the deal a little further, you can also download Amazon Prime Videos and watch them later. This is a feature Netflix only recently introduced which is great for travelling.

Is Amazon Prime Video better than Netflix?

Both video streaming services are locked in a vicious battle at the moment. Original programs are being thrown out left, right and centre by the two. At the moment, Netflix is in the lead, especially with the recent addition of video downloads. With that said, Amazon does give you some great original programming, unavailable anywhere else.

What can I watch on Amazon Prime Video?

Like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video provides you with a selection of popular TV and movies. Here’s our selection of top shows you can enjoy today:

The Grand Tour

We showed you how to watch The Grand Tour a while back. This article proved popular with Top Gear fans were hungry for Clarkson, Hammond and May. Now, it’s much more straightforward as all you need is a Prime or Prime Video membership to watch the show. Once you nail that much, you can enjoy the famous three touring the world every week. Lots of laughs, expensive cars and slightly cringe-worthy celebrity deaths.

Man in the High Castle

amazon prime video man in the high castleThis is a cracker of a show that came in somewhat under the radar. Man in the High Castle appealed to the nostalgic side of my youth, playing games like Wolfenstein. The show is set in a world where Hitler and his Nazis won the war. Following day-to-day “American life” in an Axis controlled world is fascinating.

Mr. Robot

Amazon prime video fscociety mr robotSometimes, television can actually be art. Mr. Robot will have you covering webcams and downloading encrypted chat apps in no time. The series follows Eliot, a cyber security specialist losing grasp of reality. As he does, hacktivists crash the banking world. Mr. Robot is arguably the best thing on Amazon Prime Video.

Startup

Startup wants to be Mr. Robot. It’s not quite as good but tries to make up for these shortcomings with lots and lots of sex scenes. A worthy watch to pass the time and to get more from your membership. Pretty sure you could play some sort of drinking game based on the amount of riding in the show too.

After a long wait, we can finally watch Amazon Prime Video in Ireland. It might not be the smoothest transition if you’re a Prime member already, but it’s worth the effort. If you’re new to it all, enjoy a free trial and discounted first six months. Yaay!

 

How To Stop Facebook Auto-playing Videos With Sound

Marty
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0
How To Stop Facebook Auto-playing Videos With Sound

Facebook regularly releases updates which they’ve painstakingly tested to ensure they improve your experience when using their platform. Despite all this care, the social media giant has decided to start playing sound with videos automatically – which is ridiculous. Here’s everything you need to know and a quick guide to help you stop Facebook auto-playing videos with sound.

What’s The Problem With Auto-playing Sound?

Smartphones are one of the most life-changing pieces of technology in human history. The sheer volume of smartphones in the world is incredible. They help us navigate from A to B, play endless playlists of music but most importantly, pass the time in the bathroom. 75% of people have admitted using their phone on the bog and the rest were lying.

Now, the problem here is the office. What happens if you’re on the porcelain throne when a colleague enters the bathroom just as you hit a video by Korean Billy going through Irish phrases? Sure, it’s far from incriminating but at best it’s a little odd to hear that coming from a cubical.

How To Stop Facebook Auto-playing Videos With Sound

After receiving a push notification from Facebook, alerting me to the fact they were turning on auto-play sounds in videos, I got the fear and set about turning this off for good.

How To Stop Facebook Auto-playing Videos With Sound

To avoid such awkwardness in the workplace all you need to do is take a few simple steps. Here’s how to stop Facebook auto-playing videos with sound:

  1. Open the Facebook App on your smartphone
  2. Tap the menu “burger button”

facebook burger buttons

  1. Next, look for App Settings

app settings to disable sound in facebook

  1. Hit the toggle beside “Videos in News Feed Start With Sound”

videos in news feed start with sound toggle

There ya go. Bob’s yer Uncle.

Bonus tip: 

While you’re in Facebook’s App Settings, take a quick look at when your videos auto-play. If you’re away on holidays, even with new roaming laws, it’s probably a good idea to disable this or limit it auto-play to WiFi only. You find your options and be able to pick an option that suits you here:

facebook autoplay options

 

7 Alternative Workout Apps to Actually Get You Moving

Marty
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7 Alternative Workout Apps to Actually Get You Moving

There seems to be a never-ending list of apps on the market designed to get you up and active. I know we’ve definitely looked at this a few times. At the end of the day, they’re usually all the same and let’s be honest about it, fitness apps are boring. There are a few apps on the market that set out to add a twist to your workout in an effort to actually get you off the couch. Here are our 7 favourite alternative workout apps that might actually help you get fit.

Top 12 Alternative Fitness Apps

1. Wakeout Is the Perfect Morning Workout App

If you’re like me, you’re guilty of lying in bed for ages every morning simply because you’re not ready to take on the day. That’s why Wakeout is a great workout app – you don’t even have to get out of bed.

wakeout is a morning workout app you can use in bed

Okay, so as you see you’re pillow-squats mean you have to get out of bed but come on – pillow squats!

Each Wakeout workout takes three minutes and is designed to burn calories but more importantly, wake you up and energise you.

Wakeout is available for free on iPhone.

2. Zombies, Run! Is a Free Audio Fitness App

Music can really drive you forward when you’re running. A decent Spotify playlist could be the difference between a 5km walk and nailing a 10km run. The only thing I better than listening to music is the sound of a zombie hoard out to get you and that’s what Zombies, Run! offers.

As one of only a few survivors in a world full of zombies, you must run to gather life-saving supplies. Every now and then, you’ll hear a zombie hoard closing in on you. To survive, you’ll have to outrun them.

Zombies, Run! is a really cool concept game. It’s one of the most unique on the market and is the best selling mobile fitness game of all time. You can even log into your Zombielink account and build up your compound when you’re finished running.

Zombies, Run! is available for iPhone and Android, in both paid and premium apps.

3. Why Not Try Out a Yoga App?

I was shocked the first time I tried out Yoga. First of all, I enjoyed it but even more surprising was the fact I’ve never sweat so much in my life. It’s a great work out and because you’re using your own body against itself, you’re constantly working out on your limit.

Daily Yoga is a great app that will introduce you to yoga at a suitable level for you and your goals. You might want to lose weight, but yoga is also great for overcoming stress. Ideally, you’ll do this with a yoga mat, but technically you don’t need anything except the app to get started.

You won’t get a huge amount from the app for free, but yoga classes cost money and the time it takes is often an excuse you’ll cart out. So bring yoga into your own gaff and skip the excuses.

Get started with Daily Yoga for free on both Android and iPhone, but remember you’ll likely have to pay to get the most from the app. If you want some more free yoga, there’s a load of YouTube channels you can yoga-along with, if that how you say it.

4. Aura Will Help Clear Your Mind

When I was writing about yoga there, it got me thinking. If you’re working out for your mental health and not just fitness, this is a great alternative workout app. Aura is a great free app that introduces mindfulness meditation at regular intervals during your schedule.

Using artificial intelligence, Aura learns your day and for three minutes every day will recommend a suitable meditation for you. Now I understand this all sounds a bit mad and you’ll likely not tell a soul you’re trying it out, but do try it out. You’ll be glad you did.

Aura is available for free on Android and iPhone.

5. Cakewalk: Shame Is a Powerful Motivator

Imagine that annoying friend of yours was a fitness app. Well, they’d be Cakewalk. Cakewalk is an iPhone app that connects to your Twitter account and your Twitter friends. Once started, if you walk less than 50% of your daily step goal, you run the risk of a public shaming on Twitter.

You do have one last chance to avoid your publish shaming, as Cakewalk commences a 24-challenge. When you fail that, Calkwalk starts a conversation with you publically on Twitter.

Cakewalk is available on iPhone and is free, costing you nothing more than your dignity.

6. Shame Not Encouraging You? Try Guilting Yourself With Tep

Remember in primary school when you would have gladly sacrificed your education to stay at home and care for your beloved Tamagotchi? Tep is a fitness app where your workout feeds a digital pet, similar to a Tamagotchi.

tep tamagotchi fitness app-w600Or you could sit on the couch and watch them die. You know if that’s the kind of person you are.

Tep is available for free on Android and iPhone.

7. See Those Gains With Pushh

A part of me wants to hate his idea, but at the same time, if I could see the fruits of my workout I’d be pretty motivated. Pushh is an iPhone app that lets you take regular selfies, lining up your snap with the on-screen grid to see progress over time. You can also add in other progress measurements.

It’s a bit vain, but like I said, I can totally see how something like this would motivate you to keep working out.

Pushh is available for free on iPhone.

 

Samsung’s New Phone Is the Galaxy Note8: Confirmed Details

Jon
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Samsung’s New Phone Is the Galaxy Note8: Confirmed Details

Samsung’s newest smartphone is the Note8 which will be officially launched on 23 August. Given the disaster that was the Note7, the Note8 could be the biggest comeback since Wayne Rooney’s hairline. So what have Samsung got up their sleeve for the next S-Pen equipped smartphone?

While the Note 7 will probably go down in history as the very worst smartphone of all time, you know with all the blowing up and that, spec wise it was actually a bad ass bit of kit. Where does Samsung go from here? Well, think S8 with a stylus.

 

Samsung Galaxy Note8 Specs

That smartphone leaker, Evan Blass, has been at it again:

When he leaks, man does he leak. It appears that he’s actually confirmed most of the Note8 specs already. I called it months ago, but the Note 8 is going to be a slightly bigger Galaxy S8 with an S-Pen. The waterproofing grade IP-68 and you can expect the phone to cost in the region of €1000.

The Leaks

We still have to describe these as leaks as Samsung has yet to officially launch, but this would appear to be fairly likely stuff.

Screen

The Note8 will boast a 6.3-inch SuperAMOLED display. The corners will be slightly rounded, a feature made popular with the Moto G6 and Galaxy S8 and the screen will be curved. All in all, it’ll be ever so slightly bigger Galaxy S8+. This should make for the best Gear VR experience yet and we all know how much I love HD RV. Kobold I will not be, seeing you anytime soon.

That mad rumour about the Note8 having a foldable display – it’s still mad and not happening. Samsung is rumoured to be prepping to foldable phones for the next year though which is a fun thought.

Battery

Really trying to not make any battery related jokes here, but the battery here has to not only be big and powerful, but it will also have to be the safest battery we have ever seen. Even standard enough overheating issues (they happen) can’t happen here. As long as it doesn’t blow up, then that is all that we can ask for.

The Note 7 findings confirmed that the explosions were the result of two different battery failures. So we expect Samsung to play it cool with a smaller battery capacity than it could technically go with. Hopefully, we won’t see any more ads showing how great Samsung’s testing is.

Leaks suggest the Note8 will ship with a a fast-charging 3300mAh battery, rocking USB-C.

Design

In short, we reckon that the style will follow that of the Samsung  S8, with a glass and metallic form, the infinity display and slight curvature to add style to the front face.

Again like the S8 range the new Note 8 won’t have a button on the front face, but will instead have a pressure-sensitive screen that brings up different menus and options depending on how hard you press the display. It sounds similar to the 3D Touch system made by Apple, however, we are hoping that the guys from Samsung will figure out how to put the finger print sensor on the display. While I have no problem at all with the scanner being on the back beside the camera, it can be a pain in the hole – smudging and whatnot.

Camera

Samsung’s camera is due for an upgrade, and the Galaxy Note 8 is Samsung’s playground to try new things. Let’s face it the 12MP camera has not changed since the Samsung Galaxy S7. They obviously have updated the software throughout the models but we still see the Note coming up with something different.

As we predicted a few months back, the Note8 has two main rear cameras, both featuring 12-megapixel sensors. This is a first for Samsung, but today is far from being an industry first. The selfie cam will be an 8MP.

The Other Stuff

Randomly, the stylus could have something interesting going on, with a huge rumour coming off the back of a recent patent. The stylus could have a built in speaker, why we have no idea but why the hell not. Maybe it will act as a Dictaphone and recite your notes back to you?

Usual add ons will be included like the Iris scanner that we have already seen in the S8 range, but after a group of hackers managed to bypass this, we will probably see updated tech in the scanner.

Bixby should also get a nippy little upgrade to make it more of a rival to Siri. Right now, it seems a little limited but with a couple software upgrades, we could see something interesting. The IP68 dust and water resistance rating will be sticking around, as will fast charging so much the same as the S8. Couple all of this with a huge 6GB of RAM and we could have something special on our hands.

The Verdict

The new Note 8 will be built for exactly those who have loved the Note series in the past, so basically if you haven’t already dipped into your piggy banks to get the S8 Plus and you really love a stylus well then the Note8 is for you.

However, if you have already got the S8 Plus then you won’t be missing out on much apart from the 6GB of RAM, a 4K display which will be great for gaming on the Gear VR and ok fair enough now I want one. Let’s hope it’s not as “grenade-like” as the last model.

 

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