Home Blog Page 159

LG G6: The next generation of LG is ready to rumble

Jon
-
0
LG G6: The next generation of LG is ready to rumble

It’s that time of year again! The rumour mill has well and truly gone into overdrive in the smartphone world. So far we’ve had news around the latest HTC, Sony and Samsung. Google’s Pixel is still massively popular but is also fairly new. Now it’s the turn of LG. Many expect LG to launch their latest smartphone at the upcoming Mobile World Congress. So, with a launch date of late March or early April, what can we expect from the LG G6.

LG at Mobile World Congress (MWC)

LG typically announce their handsets at the beginning of each year. The LG G5 launched at MWC in 2016. Previous LG launches took place just before the Barcelona-based telecoms event. This year LG have done something perfectly evil by scheduling an event for February 26th. The eagle-eyed among you will note that’s the Sunday before this year’s MWC. Better still, it’s the same day Samsung have pencilled in for a big announcement.

The LG G5 arrived on shelves in April, as did its predecessor. Mark down early April in your diary as we expect a similar timeframe for the LG G6. Asian markets may see an earlier mid-March release. Will we see it in Europe before April? We just might you know. As for price, you can expect to fork out €500 for the privilege of having the latest LG smartphone.

Design of the LG G6

LG have ditched the innovative but expensive modular frame of the G5. Replacing it is either a glass or a reflective metal rear. we would assume the metal if we were betting men. Both would go a long way towards making the G6 feel more premium than previous flagship attempts. There are also rumours that we could see a waterproof build too. Exciting rumours indeed.

Onboard tech

The G5 had a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Whether this will remain on the G6 remains to be seen. Some claim LG may take aim at Samsung’s iris scanner that we missed out on thanks to the exploding Note7.

When it comes to the display this is where things start to get interesting. Rumours of a curved OLED display seem to have flat-lined. This is despite the fact LG already produce OLED displays for the Apple Watch and their own TVs. LG themselves have confirmed the G6 will boast a 5.7 inch 2880 x 1440 Quad HD LCD display. The company has said it will be the first screen to sport an ultra wide 18:9 aspect ratio. This means the LG G6 will be delivering a pixel density of 564ppi. All you really need to know is that will be a super sharp “immersive viewing experience”. The screen is also said to be ideal for multi-tasking and dual-screen functions. It will use LG’s in-Touch technology for more a responsive experience.

The G6 camera

When it comes to the camera the G5 had an epic dual rear camera. Following the same train of thought is the G6. As always, you’ll get standard camera sensor upgrade. You also get a wide-angle sensor like its predecessor. The front facing camera could be an all job.

Will Note7 tech feature on the LG G6It’s expected to house the camera and iris scanner – all in one. This will authenticate the user and unlock the phone. Other possible specs include:

  • Likely to be Qualcomm SD830 chip with at least 4GB of RAM
  • Wireless charging possible
  • 32GB of internal memory. MicroSD supported
  • Either 2800mAh or 3000mAh battery.
  • Headphone jack

LG’s new flagship brings a more premium design, iris scanner and an all new display. Of course, everything, except the display is just rumour. But if you’re into rumours keep an eye on this article. We’ll update this as more reports and rumours appear.

Roaming charges to leave the EU soon

Gary
-
0
Roaming charges to leave the EU soon

Today marks a win for the average mobile phone user. A deal is now in place to cap the wholesale charges operators can charge each other. Roaming charges within the EU could be gone as soon as June this year.

OK, what does that actually mean?

Look at it this way. A Meteor Ireland customer goes on holidays to Spain, and roams on Movistar. Movistar would then charge Meteor Ireland for providing coverage to their customer. These charges were then passed on in the form of roaming charges. Plus a little extra on top. Today’s ruling means that there is a limit to what operators can charge each other for their customers using services while abroad. This is key, as it was a major stumbling block to abolishing roaming charges for good.

How will this affect my bill?

With a doubt, it’ll be in a positive way. Bill shock after travelling in Europe will soon become a thing of the past. Network operators won’t have to pay large sums for their customers to roam. This means charges won’t be passed down to anyone who is roaming. Everyone wins.

What will roaming charges for consumers be?

Unfortunately, nobody knows for sure what the consumer roaming charges will be. Today’s ruling deals with the wholesale charges between operators. This is just a stepping stone to roaming charges leaving us forever. Using a gigabyte of data is now capped at €7.70 from June. This will drop to €2.50 within 5 years. Calls will also drop to 3.2c per minute. While text messages will go to just 1c.

When will this happen?

phone on a beach enjoying removal of roaming chargesToday’s deal is a key element in getting rid of roaming charges for good. It is worth noting that the deal is still provisional. However, it is expected to pass through the European Parliament in the next few weeks. This could mean that roaming charges are gone by the time summer holidays are here. You’ll be able to share all the beach snaps on Facebook without worrying about your bank balance. Just try not to share any mankini pictures… Jon.

It might not appear so, but the agreement made today is a huge win for consumers. Roaming charges are the bane of the life of any would-be traveller. Roam like your at home is that bit closer to becoming a reality.

Find Ireland’s cheapest petrol with Pumps.ie

Marty
-
0
Find Ireland’s cheapest petrol with Pumps.ie

The price of filling up your tank is soaring right now. With the current political strain in the world, it’s unlikely to get better any time soon. Still, every forecourt is different so Irish people can still make a tidy saving on their fuel purchases. If you’re looking to find Ireland’s cheapest petrol, the team at Pumps.ie are making easier than ever.

Using the crowd to find Ireland’s cheapest petrol

Pumps.ie runs on the “chatter down the back of mass” principal. News will always travel fastest between peers. Pumps.ie is a completely crowd-sourced database of forecourt fuel prices from around the country. The website describes the updaters as “legends” and displays top “legends” in a table on their homepage.

 

pumps.ie for Ireland's cheapest petrolMore importantly Pumps.ie gives you a nice overview of the nation’s fuel pricing making it easier to find Ireland’s cheapest petrol. Of course, we mean fuel so it also covers diesel. While the overall design of the site is perhaps a little old school (non-mobile friendly, we’re looking at you), the way in which the site displays the information is nice and straight forward. You can filter filling station by county and area within which a colour key will indicate what kind of value you will be getting with you fill up. It’s always interesting to see where your station ranks against the nation’s best value fuelling points.

The Pumps.ie app

As the key to Pumps.ie being successful is the “legends” updating pricing, the team created mobile apps on the big three platforms. This ensures that you can check for Ireland’s cheapest petrol prices on your smartphone. It also ensures that updating pricing is convenient enough for Pumps.ie to remain relevant. Better still, once you open the app, it automatically searches for the nearest forecourts to you based on your location. Pick out the platform that suits your needs below and get saving now.

Download the Pumps.ie app on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

Irish Sky customers to lose the Discovery Channel and 12 others

Marty
-
0
Irish Sky customers to lose the Discovery Channel and 12 others

I’m a little bit outraged by this. Probably about as outraged as I am by the History Channel having being allowed to associate themselves with history. Discovery Communications and Sky are at loggerheads. Think LUAS strike, but this is actually important. Ultimately, Irish Sky customers are set to lose twelve channels from 1st February. To make things worse, there pretty decent channels too.

What channels will Irish customers lose?

How big a deal this is, really does depend on your viewing habits. For me, this is a bit of a disaster. I love the channels that these guys run. Come on, they brought us Mythbusters which only recently spawned White Rabbit Project on Netflix.

From 1 February, Discovery are unlikely to be available in Sky TV packages

But let’s be somewhat serious here. These aren’t some of the filler channels between the news 500s and the grown-up stuff in the 900s. Discovery Communication has a great suite of channels on Sky:

Discovery HD
Discovery History
Discovery Home & Health
Discovery Science
Discovery Shed
Discovery Turbo
Investigation Discovery		 Animal Planet
DMAX
Eurosport 1
Eurosport 2
Quest
TLC

As you can see, that’s a fairly solid selection of channels right there. It’s worth noting that Virgin Media will remain unaffected throughout this.

What programmes will Irish Sky customers miss out on?

The famous Williams sisters are set to take each other on in the final of the Australian Open this week. Eurosport has been bringing us coverage of this tournament. If you’re lucky, the final might be one of the last major tournaments you catch on Eurosport if you’re a Sky customer. Worse still, Eurosport is set to have the rights to the lion’s share of Olympic coverage in the coming years.

Idris Elba’s latest documentary is called Fighter. This follows the Luther actor through his attempts to become a competitive fighter. The first episode was great but should this Discovery Communications and Sky battle not be resolved, you’ll be doing well to get passed the third episode. Fighter is just one of the latest hits on Discovery. You’ll also be missing out on re-runs of the best ways to kill time, namely Mythbusters and How it’s Made. Take this video that means you’ll never eat a hotdog again.

Not How it’s Made! Why is this happening?

Basically, Sky have paid Discovery Communications less every year for the last while. During the same period, Sky has been charging customers more every year. Discovery Communications are peeved by this.

What are the chances of this being averted?

It certainly does have a feel about it that this can’t happen. Surely? The Discovery Channel was the first thing I went to when Sky got installed in my house. Discovery is going heavy on the “it’s not our fault” approach. Over in Sky HQ, some poor person has had to explain something on the website. The result is some pretty flakey explanations as to what’s going on. Sky’s site states that from 1 February, Discovery is unlikely to be available in Sky TV packages.

Sky are well aware of the situation’s severity too. They have sections dedicated to informing annoyed customers that there’s plenty else to watch. This is far from cutting it for customers who are, quite rightly, seeking a reduction in their bill for the loss of channels.

It’ll be interesting to see if this all means that Irish Sky customers can jump ship on their contracts. As is often the case, there is a fair chance this is grounds to exit your contract with Sky – no questions asked. But as I said above, I’ve a feeling this won’t go the distance. Sure that would be like Virgin Media losing BT Sports or something.

Make your own Donald Trump quotes

Marty
-
0
Make your own Donald Trump quotes

Have you ever found that Donald Trump talks a little bit too much sense? Maybe you’ve even thought to yourself “wouldn’t it be great if I could create my own Donald Trump quotes”. You know, just to have him say something racist or war-inducing.

Okay, with the classic opposite world introduction complete, let’s get back on track. Twitter has recently become a stomping ground for Trump’s rants.

With the press being shoved aside, all we can do is undermine and mock the Trumpster.

You can create your own mad Donald Trump quotes

Well, would you make mad quotes? Maybe you’d just make Donald say some things that Obama said. Bring back memories of a happier time right? It’s easy to do both thanks to Zoobe, a character voice-messaging app available for both iOS and Android. Zoobe was founded by German filmmaker, Lenard F. Krawinkel.

You record your voice with the app and then select which character you would like to repeat your creation. The app was created to bring more emotion to your WhatsApp messages. Generally speaking, the characters are funny and from hot-topics. You’ll find loads of freebies to play with like Angela Merkel. Trump was free until the guys at Zoobe realised people are craving some sense to be uttered by the President. Trump now costs 99c to access – thanks a lot Obama. All in all, there’s a nice mix of free charachters and premium stuff to keep Zoobe fresh. You can even get Slimer from Ghostbusters.unspecified

If you want to make your own Donald Trump quotes, just download Zoobe, select Trump from the list and record your voice. The video will then render itself and download to your device, where you can share. That means Facebook, Twitter all those great places. Those social media platforms really are brilliant and I’m great at them all. See, I’ve been practising.

We’ve test drove Zoobe with Donald Trump quoting the now infamous Enda Kenny Castlebar speech. Who said it best?

You can download Zoobe now for iOS and Android.

Unlikely movies that received award nominations

Marty
-
0
Unlikely movies that received award nominations

Movie piracy skyrocketing which can mean only one thing – award season is upon us. Between the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, honours are divvied out amongst the best movies and industry individuals from the past year. While there are plenty of winners and losers, there have been some real surprise nominations over the past few years that you would not have expected to find. Here are our top five unlikely movies that received award nominations.

Junior

1 Academy Award nomination & 3 Golden Globe nominations

It simply wouldn’t be right to have a list of acting surprises without Arnie in it. We need you to just go ahead and say the following sentence out loud. Junior, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito was nominated for an Oscar. If you need to go grab a cup of tea or something, we’ll wait right here for you.

Okay, this is a nugget of trivia and a gem to stump your friends but we’ll level with you. Junior was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1995, with “Look What Love Has Done”

The on-screen talent wasn’t completely missed however, with Arnie and Emma Thompson being nominated for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress respectively at the 1995 Golden Globes. I don’t think anyone can truly deny Arnie deserved to go all the way, but it just wasn’t to be.

my body my choice gif

Bad Grandpa

2 Academy Award nominations

surprised old man gifFair enough, we’re probably being a bit sneaky and liberal here in the definition of “nomination”, but fair is fair. Inspired by his time with the Jackass crew, Johnny Knoxville took to the streets as an old man thanks to some extremely convincing make-up work. The make-up work was so impressive in fact, the team that did all the work earned themselves an Oscar nomination. Initiate shocked face.

Under Siege

1 Academy Award nomination

Another “say it out loud moment”. Surely, you are thinking what we’re thinking at this stage. This could earn you a few bob down the pub as a chorus of “ara g’way you’re talking shite” follows you saying one of the Steve Seagal epics was nominated for an Oscar, not once, but twice.

Yup, while the arm breaking to nomination ratio is still in comfortably in favour of the emergency room, Under Siege earned two 1993 Oscar nominations for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing. No wins though. I wouldn’t like to be the one who breaks it to Seagal.

Batman Forever

3 Academy Award nominations & 1 Golden Globe nomination

You surely see where this one is going right? Perhaps one of the greatest songs to grace a movie soundtrack of all time…

Kiss From a Rose by Seal, what a gem of a song. If you thought that this was the driving force behind the movies big four award nominations, you’d be wrong. While this may be the greatest miscarriage of justice in the history of mankind, Kiss From a Rose was overlooked, with Batman for Ever instead joining the unlikely movies that received award nominations list for Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects from the Academy.

The Golden Globes didn’t overlook the soundtrack of the movie, but they did favour the Dublin lads, U2, who provided their talents for Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me -receiving a nomination for Best Original Song.

Crocodile Dundee

1 Academy Award nomination, 1 Golden Globe win & 1 Golden Globe nomination

We shit you not. Paul Hogan, the inspiration behind both the definition of knives and the classic parlour game – knifey spoony; ‘strewth.

What makes Crocodile Dundee’s Oscar nomination most impressive is that it’s actually one of the more serious ones; Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Better still, the legend that is Paul Hogan earned himself a Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy of Musical, fending off Matthew Broderick’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

What was less impressive was the attempt at an Aussie accent by the lady presenting the award. A well deserved Aussie boot up the arse is needed for this.

That completes our selection of unlikely movies that received award nominations. Let us know if you think there were even bigger surprises.

 

 

 

On Netflix Ireland: Is The OA a smash hit or a bit shit?

Jon
-
0
On Netflix Ireland: Is The OA a smash hit or a bit shit?

Another Netflix binge complete and this time up on the chopping block was the new Netflix Original series The OA.

Where did The OA come from?

What’s interesting about this particular series was that prior to its announcement, no one knew it even existed. It did arrive with some added pressure to deliver following the success that was Stranger Things.  A bit of mystery can go a long way when it comes to developing a full-scale internet obsession with a series. The OA has a solid enough premise. In theory, it follows the same formula for success that Stranger Things created.

What’s The OA about?

The really short version goes something like blind girl goes missing, comes back with her sight and a new personality. I enjoyed the randomness and storytelling style of the show. But I also know it’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. By the end of it all, well everything was kind of ruined. We don’t want to give away spoilers but the poor ending has to be up there with The Sopranos and How I Met Your Mother. [Editors note: Sopranos Jon, really?] But don’t let that put you off. Give the trailer a shot. You’ll probably find that The OA sets out to intrigue and it nails it.

It’s hard to separate The OA and Stranger Things, so the bar is set pretty high. The OA even comes from well-established filmmakers Brit Marling and Zal Batmangli. Check out the utterly brain-melting Sound of My Voice and The East.

So we have an interesting story line, great director and the drive that comes with a Netflix Original Series.

What could possibly go wrong?

And here is the kicker. Everything The OA has going for it is perfect for a psychological thriller movie. Apply that formula to an eight-episode series and it becomes slow and drawn out at times. To summarise briefly, the show introduces us to Praire Johnson aka The OA. Praire, missing for seven years, can offer no account for her whereabouts or how her sight has mysteriously returned. Her parents, just happy to have her home, comply with her wishes not to speak to investigators or stay in the hospital.

After earning the help and respect of the local bad boy Steve, Praire or The OA enlists him to find four “strong” people who would be willing to “let me in”. It’s like some form of ragtag Breakfast Club for her to tell her story too.

And from then on The OA becomes a very different show, almost entirely for the worse.

Light spoiler alert. From the second episode and beyond the series is very much focused on the life of The OA speaking to her new disciples. The storytelling is very well done. It’s interesting to see how the characters develop in their own personal lives as a result of their interactions with Praire. While the love subplot between her and her fellow captive Homer is an interesting side show, as is Jason Isaacs playing the villain Hap.

Is it worth your while?

Unfortunately, as much as the main body of the show is more than watchable, the final few minutes of The OA is actually poorly thought out. We’re talking of Lost proportions here. After such a long story detailing her plan to her followers, going as far as to teach them “the way” to open a portal into some kind of multiverse of sorts or something like that. To be honest, I don’t want to give away to much but just think Bowling for Columbine with dancing. As ridiculous as that sounds, it’s not a million miles off.

 

Five Band of Brothers actors you may have missed

Marty
-
0
Five Band of Brothers actors you may have missed

All it takes is sitting down to a great war movie like Hacksaw Ridge to start a barrage of similar watching. Saving Private Ryan is possibly the go-to movie for many. For me, it’s the epic 2001 miniseries – Band of Brothers. Watching the stories behind Easy Company today, you really appreciate how many great actors were involved in the show. Here’s our list of five Band of Brothers actors you may have missed.

James McAvoy

Appearing in just one episode, you’d be forgiven for not remembering McAvoy. Back in 2001, he was still most likely best known for a brief 1997 appearance in The Bill. Playing Private James Miller, a newbie to the front lines who join the Band of Brothers during the Replacements episode. Poor Private Miller doesn’t last too long, unlike McAvoy’s career which picked up in the years that followed Band of Brothers.

Michael Fassbender

Of course, we’re slightly biased as he is half-Irish

Michael Fassbender Band of BrothersFassbender is arguably one of the more recognisable breakthrough Band of Brothers actors. Of course, we’re slightly biased as he is half-Irish. Like McAvoy, Fassbender had really just started his on-screen career. He enjoyed seven episodes including the first while being grilled by the sadistic Captain Sobel. Fassbender’s character, Seargent Burton “Pat” Christenson, is also present when Easy Company discovers the Nazi concentration camps in the episode Why We Fight.

Jimmy Fallon

To be honest, I don’t know if it’s fair to class Jimmy Fallon as a Band of Brothers actor. Then again, he’s far too cool a cameo to leave out. I say cameo for good reason. His appearance as Lieutenant George Rice fits into a two and a half minute YouTube clip.

Maybe Jimmy should stick to the talk shows.

Tom Hardy

Back in 2001, Tom Hardy was looking for his first on-screen job. Band of Brothers provided that opportunity. Like McAvoy, Hardy, playing John Janovec joined as a replacement during the war effort. Not letting war get in the way of what a young man would travel Europe looking for, Janovec makes an instant impression.

Matthew Leitch

So, Matthew Leitch is a very personal inclusion on the list. You probably don’t recognise the name for a start. Band of Brothers wasn’t his first gig, nor did it really kickstart his career. Leitch will be well known to anyone who grew up watching the Dustin era of the Den. Do you remember The Renford Rejects?

The Renford Rejects is possibly my favourite show from the Dustin era. The Nickelodeon series was all about a failing five-a-side team of misfits. Leitch plays the injured young footballing talent taking on the role of coach. Leitch would go on to appear in each episode of Band of Brothers as Floyd “Tab” Talbert. A few years later, he’d appear in the Dark Knight.

As you might have guessed, Band of Brothers started the careers of many. Watching the series back now is like going on an actor safari. If you’ve never watched the miniseries, it comes hugely recommended. It’s currently available in Sky Boxsets too.

Hacksaw Ridge review and Irish release date

Marty
-
0
Hacksaw Ridge review and Irish release date

Personally, I’d argue that we haven’t had a great war movie since Saving Private Ryan. Sure enough, the Hurt Locker was good but not a classic. Inglorious Basterds was magnificent, but only has tenuous links to reality. Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson sets out to reset the clocks.

This review contains spoilers. But the film is a true story, so that’s kinda like having a spoiler warning on a review of Titanic.

Hacksaw Ridge review

All the talk surrounding Hacksaw Ridge so far has been its award-nominated credentials. So much so, I initially missed Mel Gibson being the director. The controversial Aussie is extremely hit-and-miss with his acting these days but is settling nicely into the director’s chair. Gibson has notably directed Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto to date. So, just how did he fair with Hacksaw Ridge?

The official trailer

What’s the movie about

Hacksaw Ridge follows the real-life experiences of Desmon Doss during World War Two. Taking a refreshing break from movies battling Nazi forces, Doss’ story takes place through the Battle of Okinawa. Doss enlisted in the United States army in 1942 but refused to carry a weapon or to kill an enemy. He would enter into battle without a weapon as a field medic. During the Battle of Okinawa, Doss was injured four times but still saved the lives of 75 men. He would go on to be the only conscientious objector to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour.

The actors of Hacksaw Ridge

When it comes to actors, Hacksaw Ridge brings Band of Brothers to mind. Band of Brothers had an amazing cast of actors you’d recognise but couldn’t name. Hacksaw Ridge is somewhat similar, including a rare “serious” appearance from Vince Vaughan.

Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw RidgeDoss is played by Andrew Garfield, best known for roles in Spiderman and The Social Network really steps up his game for this role. Physically, what he achieves seems unlikely, but the same could be said of the real-life Doss. There are plenty of other familiar faces like Hugo Weaving of Matrix fame throughout, with all delivering great performances.

There are plenty of other familiar faces like Hugo Weaving of Matrix fame throughout, with all delivering great performances.

Is Hacksaw Ridge a great war movie?

Hacksaw Ridge provides a great emotional background to the characters and then plays out an amazing story. Truth be told, the scriptwriters are only partially responsible for the amazing story. Doss’ real tales of war are simply outstanding. For years, Doss refused to allow any movie to be made fearing it would be inaccurate.

Doss’ real tales of war are simply outstanding

Gibson’s portrayal is relatively accurate and cinematically magnificent. He seamlessly combines the blood-soaked fields of war with an inherently human aspect of the same. As the movie kicks into battle, it echoes Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart and of course the opening scenes from the Medal of Honour game. Some of the characters play out predictable roles, you know the usual hard-ass Seargent come grateful Seargent. But none of it feels tired. As a fan of war movies, this still felt somewhat fresh.

Before the battle against the Japanese begins, Doss’ battle with his own demons and the US Army’s regulations is fascinating. It’s worth noting that while Doss refused to carry a weapon, the movie adaption of his wartime acts has some impressively violent scenes throughout Hacksaw Ridge. Gibson does tend to make great violent movies.

Hacksaw Ridge Irish release date

Hacksaw Ridge is due for release in Ireland on 27 January.

Bonus: Desmon Doss documentary

Desmond Doss’ inspiring story is also portrayed in a documentary. This is conveniently available on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E3reiJYFpw

 

Government WhatsApp chat on Brexit released

Marty
-
1
Government WhatsApp chat on Brexit released

A Government WhatsApp chat group discussing Brexit has been released to RTÉ under the Freedom of Information Act.

Freedom of information

In 1997, Ireland passed the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). In short, the FOI allows the public, including the media, to request Government documents. Using this act, RTÉ gained access to a WhatsApp group conversation discussing the Brexit vote. The conversation was taking place as news of the UK’s vote to leave the EU was breaking. Names of those taking part in the chat have been removed, though poorly in some parts.

The names of those taking part in the chat have been removed, though poorly in some parts. It’s been confirmed that the conversation involved the press and communications teams from the Government and state agencies.

The WhatsApp group

Feargal Purcell, the Government Press Secretary, started the WhatsApp group as the result of the Brexit vote began to emerge. Kicking things off at 5.48am, the purpose of the group was to control the media reaction to the shock vote. The members of the group scanned social media for interesting and potentially harmful content. One such tweet emerged from Gerard Howlin, a former Fine Fail adviser.

The tweet was flagged by a member of the group as having the potential to “develop as a theme”.

Why is this significant?

We’re not becoming a political site, don’t worry. We’re very much interested in the fact that this involved WhatsApp. This is the first time that WhatsApp messages have been requested and supplied under FOI. Of course, WhatsApp is an encrypted messaging service, so it’s a fairly secure place for chats like this to happen. With that said, just this week, the integrity of WhatsApp has come under the microscope. Perhaps, WhatsApp won’t be the service of choice in future.

On the flip side, it shows the benefits of group messaging services. Ireland’s exposure to the news of Brexit was largely controlled from within this WhatsApp group. One member of the Government WhatsApp chat even said the messaging platform “worked out great”.

Read the Government WhatsApp chat

Government WhatsApp chat

Government WhatsApp chat

Government WhatsApp chat

1...158159160...200Page 159 of 200