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My Christmas gift list letter to Santa

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Anyone know how much the average Irish parents spend on a child each Christmas? We didn’t either but it turns out the figure is somewhere in the region or €300 and €400. I have made my own Christmas gift list letter to Santa compiling my top tech picks under budget for this Christmas. so Mam, if your reading this take notes.

Huawei Y5II from €89.99

The humble smartphone. A staple in pretty much every teen’s Christmas hit list. The latest iPhone, Google Pixel and Samsung S7 are guaranteed to be sellouts this season. Lower budget phones can also be a smash hit around the festive season. The Huawei Y5II is looking like this year’s budget special. It boasts similar specs as the vastly more expensive Samsung J3. The Huawei Y5II sports a tidy 8MP camera, decent memory and comes in three colours; Black, Gold and Pink. Depending on the network you are looking for, the Y5II starts at €89.99. This makes it the highest spec phone on the market under €100. The best offer we’ve seen

Huawei Y5II on our Christmas gift listThis makes it the highest spec phone on the market under €100. The best offer we’ve seen comes from Three. For €120 you get six months access to Deezer Premium and a set of Energy Sistem BT1 Bluetooth headphones. Nice!

Football Manager 17 from €30

It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a fresh game to waste away. NES Mini could have represented gaming, but I’m going for the less social option. Football Manager returns for its 2017 instalment. The amount of time I’ll dedicate to playing this is crazy. Arguably, the series is one of the most complete games ever created. We’re slightly partial to a game of Football Manager. Depending on where you buy the game, you could be looking at forking out €55 to €30. Generally speaking, if you pick it up online, you’ll save some money.

Secrid Wallet from €60

Simple, beautiful, innovative are just a few words to describe the Secrid wallet. The Dutch designed wallet is not just a smaller and well-designed wallet. Its core is made from aluminium to protect your cards from RFID scanners. It will also protect your cards from you, so you don’t bend your cards. The really cool bit is the trigger mechanism. One flick launches cards for you to make your payments while looking like a boss.  Secrid has a wide range of cases with designs that can hold over ten cards, coins, keys and more.

Lumi Drone – €60

From child to manchild and everyone between. Most people would have a drone on their Christmas gift list. My personal favourite, without breaking the bank, is the Lumi. You can pick up the Lumi Drone in any Smyths toys for €60.

It looks awesome and it’s so simple to fly literally anyone can do it. You need an app on a smartphone or tablet and off you go to drone heaven. The Lumi features one touch tricks as well as an autopilot mode so you can play the interactive games with it. You can even build your own air show. A simple and fun way to have a laugh on Christmas day annoying the family. Remember the batteries.

The Christmas gift list needs NES Mini – from €65

So, I lied. I said it had to be Football manager or this. There is still enough left in the budget to pick up the niftiest little item on sale this year. The NES Mini is essentially a mini version an HDMI cabled update of the original 1985  NES. Just plug and play one of the 30 preloaded games for some retro love. For an extra ten bucks pick up a second controller and make it a two player experience.

Universal to unleash their new world of Monsters

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Universal have unleashed their new Mummy trailer. It is the first of a series in the new Universal Monster Universe – their answer to the DC and Marvel universes.

universal monsters art

Monsters versus Heroes

Let’s be honest, over the past decade DC and even more so  Marvel have ruled the cinema world. Every year they release a couple of films that the world holds its breath for. In Marvel’s case, they pretty much always deliver. Not only do they bring out independent films like Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, etc. But they also do a lot of crossover films such as Avengers and Civil War. DC, still at the start of their universe, are following suit with Justice League. But as the world sits on the edge of their seats for them, they now have some new competition to deal with. And with Russell Crowe playing the role of Mr. Hyde in The Mummy, it seems Universal will be doing a bit of crossing over themselves.

Some of the films they have lined up are The Mummy, which you can see the trailer to below. Also in the pipeline are Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Van Helsing and The Creature From the Blue Lagoon. Dracula (Untold), The Wolfman, Frankenstein, The Mummy and Van Helsing have all had theatrical re-releases in the past 15-20 years. All bar Van Helsing and The Mummy were more or less box office flops and did not do the classics justice. But being a movie buff myself, I feel we are in a golden age of film. The standard of movie making has skyrocketed. Walking into a studio with a half decent screenplay doesn’t cut it anymore.

Trial and error

The Wolfman re-release in 2010 was pitiful. It was boring and didn’t have any top actors at the time in it and had a second-rate cast. Dracula Untold only released last year was a decent attempt at a reboot, but just didn’t grab the public eye. Van Helsing, probably my favourite re-release on the list, was pretty well done. It had a decent budget. A good cast with Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale at the helm. Great special effects. And an awesome werewolf, being my favourite werewolf on the big screen so far. But it just came out at a time when people went to the cinema to pass time. Now we count down the 18- 24 month wait to a highly anticipated film. This is what Universal are doing differently this time. They are creating a new universe.

Universal play catch up

Universal are huge, they’ve always been around, they’ll always be around. But they are more known for bringing out big budget successful independent films. Let’s break it down.

Disney

  • The Avengers
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Toy Story
  • Finding Nemo
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Star Wars

Warner Brothers

  • Lord of the Rings
  • The Hobbit
  • Harry Potter
  • The Dark Knight Trilogy
  • Justice League

Fox

  • X-Men
  • Avatar
  • Independence Day
  • Die Hard

Paramount

  • Transformers
  • Star Trek
  • Mission: Impossible

Sony

  • James Bond
  • Spider-Man
  • Men in Black
  • Bad Boys

Universal

  • Fast and Furious
  • Jurassic Park

A new era

You can see that as franchises go Universal are lagging behind. Now with the new monster Universe about to be unleashed, they have a few projects they can get moviegoers excited about. Finally, Universal can create a bit of hype, and if done properly, can create a new generation a monster movie lovers.

Messenger Games: Take on your friends with some retro gaming

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Like Hansel in Zoolander, retro gaming is so hot right now. Facebook have followed up on the addictive hidden games within their Messenger service. In the past, we’ve wasted hours playing games like “keepy-uppy” and basketball. Facebook has stepped it up with a retro Messenger games that you can find in the Instant Games tab.

Why bring gaming to Messenger?

After testing the water with some pop-up games, the idea proved popular with users. Messenger basketball was played over 1.2 billion times.  The Facebook team are not ones to overlook an opportunity to please the masses. Instant Games builds on the early tests, providing proper gaming hub. This hub goes a step further than encouraging you to game. Instant Games is full of retro classics like Pacman.

Pacman is one of the Messenger GamesOf course, the real reason Facebook have introduced Instant Games is the social aspect. It’s incredibly competitive as we’ve already discovered here in Goos3D HQ. Dean has emerged as a bit of a hero when it comes to the classic block-smashing Arkanoid. We’re all chasing his top-score.

How to play Messenger Games

It’s pretty straight forward to get started setting high scores with your friends.

  • Make sure your messenger app is up to date with the latest version
  • Open up a conversation with your friend
  • Tap the game controller icon
  • Select the Messenger game you want to play
  • Enjoy ripping your mates when they fall short of your high-score

What games can you play in Messenger?

Facebook have opted for loads of retro games to kick off Instant Games. You can play Pacman, Arkanoid, Space Invaders, Track and Field and Words with Friends. Go on and give it a go. If you want to get some practice in before taking on your friends, challenge us to a game. Open the Messenger app on your smartphone, select “scan code” then scan this image.

Goos3D messenger codeWe’ll get around to beating your high score when we can.

Ireland’s top Google searches in 2016

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For many, 2017 can’t come quickly enough. A good old “clean slate protocol” every now and then is good for the body and mind. With that said, we look back at Ireland’s top Google searches in 2016 to get into the minds of the Irish public.

We search for a lot of things every year and we’ll come back to the most popular annual terms. But first, we want to dive into the new searches that appeared for the first time this year.

Pokémon GO

It’s still fairly popular, but Pokémon GO was possibly the most come and go trend in tech history. Just look at the popularity trend for the past year.

That’s what shortlived looks like. With that said, it’s undeniable how massive an impact Pokémon GO made on 2016. Hundreds of thousands of people now know what augmented reality is. The game got people out and about into the fresh air.

123Movies

Ireland has seen chord-cutting grow in popularity. Chord-cutting is when customers opt for streaming online over traditional services like Sky. Some will pay for services like Netflix, others prefer “grey area” sites like 123Movies. This site is the second most searched new item in 2016.

123Movies is a free website that provides users with links to the latest movies and TV shows. The site is the second most searcheInterest in the site grew from October and was most prominent in Limerick. It’s a grey area because you are viewing a lot of content you should be paying for – a debate for another day. All that matters now, is that TV providers and cinemas need to make their services more attractive

Slither.io

Slither is one of Ireland's top Google searches in 2016Slither.io is a game, where the object is to feed a snake multicoloured pellets. It’s a multiplayer game with the added incentive to grow the biggest snake in the game. I get how these kind of games are addictive and popular. But I am surprised to see this rank second in Ireland’s most popular Google searches of 2016. Searches for the game peaked in May and was largely supported by interest in Agar.

Agar was a very similar game from last year. Strangely enough, it also ranked second most popular Irish Google search term in 2015.

Donald Trump

It’s a little surprising that Trump didn’t rank higher in our popular search terms. There are two likely causes. The first is the fact no one really thought we needed to know anything about the “other candidate” in the American election. The second cause is how Google registers searches. Trump made such an impact on Google this year, he was counted twice. “Trump” was the third most popular search term in Ireland for 2016. In at fifth was “Donald Trump”.

Unsurprisingly, interest in Trump peaked around November as people tried to learn more about the next President of the United States. As the shock spread, even a large number of Americans were searching for how to get an Irish passport.

You can probably expect to see a few more related searches for Trump in 2017.

Euro 2016

Do you remember when the craic was ninety during the summer? I remember hugging some random man with glee in McGowans as we sank the Italians. Thousands gathered in Smithfield to see us take the lead against eventual defeated finalists France.

Ireland v France SmithfieldMainly, us Irish were Googling ways to knock a bit more craic from a tournament we didn’t expect to win. We were searching for things like Fantasy Football and how to run a sweepstake.

Ireland’s top Google searches in 2016

Whereas the trending 2016 Google searches focuses on new searches, we’ll now look at the most popular searches overall.

Dublin

Our nation’s capital is the overall top Googled term for 2016. You might think this unsurprising, but it was nowhere near the top last year. Interest in Dublin spiked this year because of several events taking place. The 1916 celebrations topped the list followed by Oktoberfest, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Elliot and Beyonce.

Facebook

Of course, Facebook ranks highly on this list. Irish people spend almost six hours on Facebook every week. You’ll often hear murmurs that Facebook is in general decline. If you were to solely look at Facebook searches in Google since 2008, the numbers would appear to suggest the same.

But don’t panic just yet people, Facebook is going nowhere. Google searches for Facebook are in natural decline as users access the service through the mobile app. Even returning users on laptops are likely to go straight to Facebook, bypassing Google.

YouTube

Google’s video streaming beast YouTube still holds its own at the top of popular searches. One thing is certain for 2017. We will still have PewDiePie who trolled the world’s media by saying he would quit YouTube when he reached fifty million subscribers. Sure enough, he hit fifty million subs and then deleted a different channel. Well played sir.

So, 2016 that’s nearly a wrap. Trump will almost certainly dominate 2017’s trends. We’re thankfully heading into a new year with some new hope. Chances are we’ll be giving out about 2017 in no time. You can look through everyone’s Google searches yourself by visiting the Trends hub.

Virgin Media Broadband Outage: Inside the mind of a customer

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Every now and then, “stuff breaks”. These are the sentiments of Laoise, a logical and calm user of the internet. During a recent Virgin Media broadband outage, not everyone was quite as calm and calculated as Laoise.

The Virgin Media broadband outage is Conchubhar’s excuse

In the run up to Christmas, there are three types of student. The first is unhappy their college insists on exams before Christmas because it makes shopping for presents really tough. The second feels dismayed that the Christmas period is ruined with January exams, combining Mary Poppins, Celebrations and study. The third is simply pissed off there are exams at all. This is Conchubhar:

exams-lad

With no desire to study, Virgin Media are now the root cause of failed exams. Not happy with that, this entrepreneurial spirit even sees an opportunity to get some extra Bucky-budget out of next month’s bill. Nice.

You wouldn’t like Diane when she’s angry

Well, we hope you’re happy now Virgin Media. You’ve not only shut down the whole country’s access to the internet, but Diane is gone to bed angry.

virgin media broadband outage sleepless nights

Technically, “not going to bed angry” is advice given to married couples. With that said, there’s a fair chance Virgin Media will be facing into a few divorces in the coming weeks. Boom.

…aaaand they wouldn’t sell me a phone

One thing we often see when big companies have significant issues is customers dragging up the past. Take Mark here. Ireland’s currently experiencing what appears to be the digital apocalypse, but still, he want’s to get a dig in about his experience buying a phone.

can't even buy a phone

On the plus side, their next marketing campaign is writing itself:

Virgin Media: We can’t get anything right

Then people start to wonder

Is anyone actually trying to help? Has anyone in Virgin Media taken the situation by the scruff of the neck?

tin foil hats for virgin media

Tomás, if only you knew who was on the case…

Daryl is the hero Ireland deserves

Thanks to the Virgin Media broadband outage, there is likely flames coming from their head office right now. People are abandoning their stations, belongings are being left behind. Women and children are given priority while some men disguise themselves. As this all goes on, Daryl sat at his desk, carefully plotting his every social media move. Until suddenly, he was gone.

virgin media customer care daryl

No one was quite sure where he went. Some feared the worst – a recruiter moved him into Sky’s customer care. No one knew where he was until the broadband started working again.

customer care hero

Everyone knew who the real hero was here:

daryl is virgin media's hero

Good job Daryl. Here’s hoping his Reddit AMA gets going.

Be like Daryl. And Laoise

The eye of the storm. The moment previous, everything was mayhem and anarchy. Suddenly, peace and quiet. You hear birds and laughter. As Daryl works frantically though seemingly in slo-motion, Laoise steps forward.

staying chilled in a crisis

Listen to Laoise. Be like Laoise.

The Console Upgrades: PlayStation 4 Pro

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Sony knows how to build up to the Christmas in style, launching their PlayStation 4 Pro on 10 November.
Some console gamers will remember a time where you bought  a console without feeling the urge to upgrade. Now gamers are tempted into upgrading their top of the line consoles earlier than ever. Starting a few years back, Microsoft and Sony released slim versions of their heavy hitting consoles. This year, the same two are upgrading with a little more punch and packing in performance enhancements. First up is the PlayStation 4 Pro.

Fun-ction over form

Image result for ps4 pro
Packing in extra punch has led to the PlayStation 4 Pro becoming a big bulky beast of a machine. While some say this isn’t much to look at, we really appreciate the edgy design that Sony consistently brings to the table. Whether it be phones, tablets or consoles, at least they are consistent. Taking a leaf from the McDonalds school of thought, why have a cheeseburger when you can have a double cheeseburger.
playstation burger
Mmmmm, PlayStation burger
Of course, virtual reality is a big deal for Sony right now. To give this the presence it deserves, The PlayStation 4 Pro added a super exciting extra USB slot – feel the excitement well up inside you and then fade away disappointingly into the abyss. That’s really it as far as looks are concerned.

Under the bonnet

Now this is where things get interesting. 1TB of storage allows you to download more games than the original 500GB version. Double the GPU’s, a faster CPU, 1 GB more of RAM which will provide 4.2 Teraflops of processing power. This basically means the PlayStation 4 Pro is double the power of the standard PS4. Don’t go putting your hands behind this when its on because dam it gets hot. It might be an idea to invest in worth investing in attachable fans down the line to combat this.

All that power, and for what?

The point of this power seems pretty straightforward – improve the experience. The quality of the experience with the PlayStation 4 Pro will be down to the type of TV you own and down to developers to make the games. Which we think might take some time. In truth, the biggest feature of the PlayStation 4 Pro is 4K. Using a technique called “checkerboard rendering,” game makers can turn 1080p games into 4K experiences, and the results are pretty astounding. If you own a 4K TV, you can play a number of current and older PS4 games in 4K; “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,” and even the three-year-old “Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor” boast substantially crisper visuals. And if your set and the game support HDR (high-dynamic range), you’ll experience a bigger contrast between light and dark.
On another epic point, Sony has made with the new console  is there will be no exclusive games for the Pro, all games past present and future will have complete crossover ability.

The €400 question

It’s an important question and really the big one, is the PlayStation 4 Pro worth the money?

Well, kind off. You are getting the most powerful console on the market and one that is future proofed in the race to full 4K. However, there’s really nothing the Pro will do on a standard HD TV. So while a full library of games is not there yet you’re basically paying for the extra memory and potential. Maybe put the money towards a VR headset instead.

New on Netflix: White Rabbit Project reunites Mythbusters

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When in the history of television has a programme moved to online streaming and improved? Oh yeah, the whole Top Gear/Grand Tour thing – fair point. Well, it’s happening again with Netflix Original White Rabbit Project.

What is White Rabbit Project?

I learned more outside the classroom in my college days than sat inside lectures. Take away the time spent in The Stables of UL and you’re left with the time I spent watching Mythbusters. Here I learned the answers to life’s real problems that not just anyone could solve. They tested hangover remedies and learned how deep underwater you must be to be safe from gunfire. Remember, I was a student in UL – these are important answers.

the mythbusters team now on white rabbit projectMythbusters aired on Discovery for the last time in March 2016. Presenter Adam Savage started Tested while his lead-colleague opted for the quiet life. The rest of the Mythbusting team went onto Netflix Original, White Rabbit Project.

What can we hope to see from the former Mythbusters?

From the trailer, it does appear that this is Mythbusters on Netflix. Don’t read that negatively, as I for one am rather excited about White Rabbit Project. The show is produced by the Mythbusters producers. It’s hosted by Grant ImaharaTory Belleci and Kari Byron – the rest of the Mythbusters team. White Rabbit Project’s DNA is Mythbusters, which means it will be fantastic.

It’s fair to draw certain comparisons between Top Gear’s team moving to Amazon here. The move to online streaming removed the shackles for Clarkson, Hammond and May. Backed by Netflix, White Rabbit Project is likely to be Mythbusters on steroids. Early episodes will involve jailbreaks, superpower technology, heists and crazy world war two weapons.

When can we watch White Rabbit Project in Ireland?

Kari Byron from White Rabbit ProjectWhite Rabbit Project will premiere globally on Netflix for 9 December 2016. I only hope that they release all the episodes at once so I can commence the mother of all binges. Considering it’s a Netflix Original, you may also be able to download the series. Check out the appetiser trailer, before diving down the rabbit hole.

Is Dublin Busy? – The best time to go shopping in Dublin

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“With all this technology, you’d think we’d have a way to avoid traffic”, said someone. With Christmas upon us, hundreds of thousands will go shopping in Dublin. In the Company of Huskies are back for a second year with an updated answer to your shopping stress woes.

Is Dublin Busy? Sure how would I know?

Smart cities is a popular buzzword in the tech world these days. Monitoring junctions with cameras and sensors have grown increasingly popular. With swelling traffic volumes, such tech isn’t simply cool, it’s necessary. Better still, all these data is largely available to the public.

such tech isn’t simply cool, it’s necessary

In the Company of Huskies, is a Dublin-based digital creative agency with an eye for cool stuff. Their “Is Dublin Busy” info centre proved massively popular last year and should be the first thing you check when before shopping in Dublin. The info centre gives you a god-like overview of Ireland’s capital, assisting you in your shopping spree.is dublin busy live screenshots

Weapon of choice?

“Is Dublin Busy” starts out by asking you how you will be travelling around Dublin. Your selection will then bring you a wealth of related information. Should you be driving, you’ll be presented with live parking availability around the city. Going a step further, you can step into Big Brother’s shoes. View live traffic cameras for the route you’re planning to take and avoid horrible traffic bottle-necks.

O connel bridge traffic
Live traffic camera Dublin city centre

If cycling is more your thing, live Dublin bikes information will appear. Finally, should you choose public transport, the latest social media updates from Luas, Dublin Bus and Dart will be at your fingertips.

So, when’s the best time to go shopping in Dublin?

They’ve even answered that. In the Company of Huskies have also created a brilliant infographic showing when you should be plotting your assault on the shops.

best time to go shopping in dublin

 

You can now download Netflix movies and TV shows

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I think we can all pretty much agree 2016 was a desperate year. Netflix to the rescue, with the news that everyone has been waiting for. You can now download Netflix content.

Is being able to download Netflix content important?

It’s all well and good thinking that everyone has lightning WiFi at home. Everyone else has great data plans on their phones. The truth is, people still have monthly worries about their mobile data allowances. Netflix has finally buckled. You can now download a selection of Netflix content. You can now download a movie before you hop on the bus, or more importantly, leave the country for holidays. Netflix on a plane – just think about that.

How do I do it?

It’s important to point out that not every movie and TV show is available for download. The ones that are, will be visible once you update your Netflix app to the most recent version. It’s also important to note that you can only download content on the Netflix Android and iOS apps.

Once you’re up to date with the latest version of the Netflix app, selected TV shows and movies will display a download icon. You can also visit the downloadable content section from the main menu.

What’s the cost?

You’ll probably watch more content than ever before, so there’s a cost to your fitness. Other than that, there will be no change to how much you pay for Netflix.

Binge-fest ahoy

Netflix has changed how we consume video content. We now want to watch on our terms, with 61% of users streaming over 4 hours of on-demand video content. Netflix allowing video downloads will empower people to binge even more than before. Whether or not that’s a good thing or not remains to be seen, but for now, go forth and enjoy great shows like Black Mirror.

Futuristic bank card security on the way

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Today, more than ever, it’s important that innovation keeps bank card security ahead of the criminal world.

The problem with current bank card security

Nowadays, there are unique security issues that we all face. The last time you used your card online, Google probably asked would you like your details to be stored. The only thing it doesn’t store is our security code on the back of our cards, which we must enter to complete orders.

This is easy enough for determined modern day criminals to get around. Some banks are now looking to introduce digitised bank cards to fight back against crime.

Gemalto to introduce a new digital standard

Digital security firm Gemalto, are looking to redesign the bank card. The new card can change the security code on the back of your card every 20 minutes. In an effort to fight “card-not-present fraud”, the card will include a microchip and a battery. There’s no word on how exactly they plan on inserting a chip and battery into the very slim cards.

The new card can change the security code on the back of your card every 20 minutes.

We’ll leave that to the professionals. But the cards are already being adopted in Latin-America, so they might not be far off. Gemalto Vice-President said: “From the experiences we have had elsewhere outside of Europe, we are certainly seeing card holders like it for one key reason, that there’s little change to the process they are currently using.”

bank card security
This is what online criminals look like. Honest.

Online fraud rose by 31% in the UK in the first 6 months of 2016. It cost victims £321 million. Gemalto’s innovation requires users to have the card in your possession while making a purchase. The fact that it is a minor change in how you purchase items online means that it should be hassle free from consumers and hopefully will be welcomed with open arms. Hopefully, Ireland won’t be far behind in adopting it. Which is good news if you’ve got a tight friend in the group that doesn’t pay for drinks.