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Inkhunter brings your tattoo ideas to life

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When you decide to get inked, there’s a fair chance you’ve trawled through dozens, if not hundreds, or tattoo ideas. Even when you whittle that list of ideas down, you’re likely to be left with a fair few options. The only thing scarier that knowing someone will be injecting ink into your skin permanently is the thought you might regret it.

Inkhunter is the perfect app to bring your tattoo ideas to life without any of these risks.

What does Inkhunter do?

Ah, the beauty of augmented reality. Despite having a name you shouldn’t say too fast, Inkhunter is a fantastic example of how technology can help you during every big milestone in your life. Now that you have a tattoo idea, Inkhunter can use augmented reality to show you how that will look on you.

tattoo-ideas-in-real-time-with-inkhunterMany already use augmented reality on a daily basis when they use Snapchat filters. Actually, Inkhunter works on the same basic principal to Snapchat filters. The app uses your camera to locate an anchor point on your arm. In this case, the anchor point is a smiley face drawn by pen. You then position the smiley face within the viewfinder with the app. You’re then shown what your tattoo would look like on you. Feel free to take a picture, adjust the size or slide across the screen to get a black and white shot.

Where do Inkhunter get their tattoo ideas?

The app comes preloaded with some pretty awesome work from artists around the world. If you are starting with a blank canvas, there’s plenty here to inspire you. However, should you have a hand drawn sketch, you can easily upload it to the app.

Tattoo Ideas in Inkhunter from Steffan NeuberHere’s one we uploaded from German tattoo artist Steffen, hailing from Lowrider INK. Once you have the sketch, simply upload to the app (or take a picture of it). You can make adjustments which will remove the paper the sketch is drawn on, resize the image and even move it around.

Why is Inkhunter a good idea?

Well, tattoos are pretty much for life. Inkhunter is a free app that lets you test out what that ink will look like on your body. You wouldn’t buy a car without a quick test drive right? There’s no harm in test driving your tattoo. Thanks to augmented reality, you can try on that tattoo idea and make sure it fits.

 

The Note 7 recall saga finally comes to a close

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The Note 7 recall has been a shambles from the word go. The news is everywhere after one or two phones went up in flames, followed by images emerging of one burnt out on a plane. What started out as a Note 7 recall has ended with the complete discontinuation of the handset and probably the whole Note series altogether.

burned out note 7 recall

Unfortunately for Samsung, the Note has been irreparably damaged in terms of brand – up in flames so to speak. To design the Note 7 replacement and sell it under the Note branding would be a terrible shout.

After investigating the issue, Samsung concluded that the batteries were slightly too big for the Note 7. The batteries became crimped in the device, overheated and short-circuited.
The original cost of the Note 7 recall was in the region of 1.8 billion dollars. The cost of an entire recall and discontinuing the phone is an eye-watering 17 billion dollars. For a company like Samsung, who make laptops fridges, ovens, smart accessories, TV’s and tanks (as in army tanks) 17 billion is a drop in the ocean, but they did cut their revenue forecasts for the third quarter by 33% following the recall.

That’s the obvious cost, but the repair work costs money too – and that’s just the brand. Samsung are now offering financial incentives to customers, encouraging them to stay with the South Korean phone manufacturer. In the US, they are offering to pay $100 off your phone bill if you return your Note 7 and switch to another Samsung phone. In South Korea they are offering just under the equivalent of $65. Samsung are effectively paying their customers to stay with them. Meanwhile, they have also quickly distanced their flagship phone, the Galaxy S7, from thoughts that a similar problem could occur.

Following the Note 7 recall, Samsung are looking to move the launch of the Galaxy S8 forward to February 2017.

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This is a nightmarish time for Samsung. Apple just released their new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. It seems to be going smoothly for them with no issues popping up. Also, Google announced their new Pixel and Pixel XL. And to top it all off, Christmas is right around the corner and Samsung’s name will be more than a little blemished for the next few months. Or at least until they release their next flagship in early 2017.

Irish PlayStation VR Launch: First look and release information

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What else would you be doing of a Tuesday evening except getting hands on with the latest VR headset at the Irish PlayStation VR launch.

We’ve already looked at the heavy hitters in the VR space, like HTC Vive, and the entry level experiences, like Samsung Gear VR and Freefly VR. In the middle of it all, there was this big empty space, a space that Sony’s PlayStation VR could possibly fill.

What makes PlayStation VR different from the others?

Sony are no strangers to the gaming world with PlayStation being one of the most loved consoles in the world. Samsung Gear VR, obviously, needs a Samsung phone. The HTC Vive needs a beast of a computer to run the intense graphics experience – making it a very expensive device. The PlayStation 4 is an affordable gaming platform, which would be far more popular amongst average gamers than high-end computers.

Irish PlayStation VR LaunchOne thing that became quite clear at the Irish PlayStation VR launch was how this headset had greater potential to find its way into Irish homes than the HTC Vive. It also provides a much better gaming experience than the Gear VR. But how good is it? Read on.

The PlayStation VR headset

The most important part of the setup has to be the headset. Due to the fact PlayStation VR is emerging relatively late in the day, it’s impossible to avoid comparison with the competition. Comfort-wise, the headset is great. It’s adjustable at the rear and front to ensure a universal fit and optimal comfort. There was a little bit of fogging up, but we’ve yet to find a headset that has survived this test.

The only real negative we noticed with the headset was a little bit of light-leak. But to be quite honest, we were so distracted by the sheer immersion, it didn’t make much difference to the experience.

Apologies for the choppy video throughout, the event was in a bit of a blackspot.

One other massive thing to point out. The PlayStation VR headset is completely compatible with glasses. Rejoice!

PlayStation VR controllers

The biggest step up for the Sony PlayStation VR from Samsung Gear VR is the hand paddles. The colourful ping-pong balls on top serve an important purpose. Similar to HTC Vive, the PlayStation VR tracks your movement. The Vive requires a large space with two sensors placed around the gaming space. PlayStation VR instead depends on a small camera you would place in front of your TV. This then picks up on the lights atop your controller and VR headset. It also makes you look like a member of Daft Punk.

Sony’s setup is extremely smart. It’s much easier and cheaper to implement that HTC’s while delivering a very similar experience. It also means you can use a standard PlayStation controller within a lot of these games, the ping-pong controllers or no controller at all.

Martin using PlayStation VR controllersGames available for Irish PlayStation VR Launch

The first thing we noticed with the PlayStation VR games were the graphics. They weren’t up to the levels of the HTC Vive. Sure enough, they were ahead of the Gear VR by some distance, but they did seem a little blocky. First of all, it’s important to realise we were playing demos. It’s also important to realise that the level of immersion from the overall experience more than makes up for the graphics.

Think back to the old arcade games, or Time Crisis. It wasn’t about the graphics. It was about feeling like you were there while playing with a G-Con Gun. This is what the PlayStation VR sets out to achieve – and it nails it.

London Heist

So, we’ve discovered the measure of success for a VR game. It’s a game where as soon as it starts, you know what you can interact with. As London Heist starts out, you’re in a van with a Ross Kemp looking geezer. You can pop the hazards on, drink a milkshake, change the radio station and even lean out of the van. Then lads on motorbikes appear and you have to shoot them up. When you run out of ammo, without even thinking, you load a new clip into your Uzi. Yes, somewhere between putting the headset on and the game starting, you channelled your inner John McClane and started kicking ass.

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood

What the christ was that all about. Between the rollercoaster nausea and gigantic killer pig corpses, that was a simply bizarre experience. But, what an experience it was. The level of immersion with Rush of Blood was, well the best we’ve experienced to date. Yes, it’s a bold claim, but one we stand by.

“Gary is shooting signs for no good reason while descending into the mouth of a pig” – why you have to love VR gaming.

Even a man whose day job is the consistent attempted murder of his mother found Rush of Blood a little intense.

Right before he practically announced that Goos3D.ie was his favourite tech website.

What is the Irish PlayStation VR launch date and price?

The Sony PlayStation VR will be available from GameStop for €399.99. The latest VR headset is expected to launch in Ireland on 14th October. Still, if you’re knocking around Dame Street in Dublin, you can pop into their pop-up shop and try out PlayStation VR for yourself.

Dare to Care: Five times I missed my smartphone

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After one month without a smartphone to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society, I’ve picked out five times I missed my smartphone this month.

I missed my smartphone in the gym

People will often hear me talking about going to the gym. People who really know me, also know it’s likely a complete lie. I’m not a regular in the local gym but, at the same time, I do enjoy popping in every now and then. Smartphones play a funny part in the hour or so you spend in the gym. You’ll likely notice it a lot more the next time you’re there.

i missed my smartphone in the gymFirst of all, there’s the woeful music that gyms play. My good lord. At the risk of realising I’m aging, how does anyone think that stuff is motivational. I like trodding along to Metallica or maybe a podcast through Spotify. Recently, SkyGo has weighed in too, though I’m sure it’s not great for the rhythm.

Then of course, it would be sacrilege if tech wasn’t involved somewhere in my terrible fitness regime. My Huawei Watch gives me my live heart-rate while keeping track of all the metrics I measure. I won’t be sharing these any time soon.

I missed my smartphone while driving

Once or twice over the past month, I’ve been completely lost behind the wheel. On one hand, it’s exciting to not really know where you’re going. Also, you get to see some lovely places that were, until just five minutes previous, were complete mysteries. At the same time, jumping across three lanes of traffic while apologising to everyone and hoping for the best, isn’t much fun. I’ll be looking forward to having Google Maps back.

Just ask Jon. Himself and Dean had to journey from Limerick to Dublin to see Goos3D.ie nab silver at the Blog Awards.

I missed my smartphone during lunch time

Actually, every time you sit with someone and you don’t have a smartphone, you realise just how much everyone uses their phone. There’s only so many times you can glance at your Nokia 3310 before you have to initiate conversation with someone. Chances are they won’t be listening, but you have to persevere.

I missed my smartphone while taking toilet breaks

Oh sure, be all high and mighty but you use your smartphone on the toilet. Toilet breaks are longer than ever because of smartphones. Over the past month, I’ve read my share of records from a strategically placed Guinness Book of Records and where that wasn’t available, resorted to reading shampoo bottles and the likes.

miss my smartphone

Fun fact: This is Lilleput – the world’s shortest cat. She’s just 5.25 inches tall. Awwwww

I missed my smartphone in general

Okay, so this is quite broad and general but bear with me. Granted, I consider myself to be a bit of a techie and that was always going to be the biggest challenge-disconnecting. A bit ironic of course considering Nokia’s old motto:

I’ve missed, and I know the lads were the same, using Facebook, Gmail and the likes of Twitter. Sure enough, there’s been the odd trip to a laptop, but it’s the hour on lunch or weekend trip somewhere. Not having the usual information and updates to hand, made me a little uneasy. Now, I don’t take back what I said on Today FM – it hasn’t been as difficult as expected and I could even go another while.

With that said, I’d simply rather not. Giving up your smartphone is much easier than you think, but my oh my is it a nice thing to have in your pocket for when you need to know something.

With the month finally complete, our donation page is still open. You can still donate to the Irish Cancer Society below and help beat cancer.

support-cancer-reserach

Sky VR Review: TV broadcaster to make VR mainstream

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Back in March, Sky decided that they would look to become a player in the VR space. Ever since, we have been looking forward to what content Sky would bring when it launch. We previewed the app in August gave us a glimpse of what we could expect. Now the Sky VR app is available in Ireland. We’re here to give you a run down on what could be a big splash in the VR space.

What is Sky VR?

 

Sky VR has been in the pipeline for a number of months and represents their commitment to the next generation of entertainment platforms. What is does, is allow the user to experience high-quality content in VR. The content available varies, with sports, movies, entertainment and nature categories represented well. However, if you are looking for live content, the Sky VR app will leave you disappointed. There is no live content available currently, but that’s not to say it won’t be available in the future.

Where can I get Sky VR?

It’s clear that Murdoch and Co decided to make the Sky VR app accessible to all during development. One of the main concerns when it was announced, surrounded the cost of the app. Thankfully, the Sky VR app is free to anyone who wants to download it. It is also available to download on Android and iOS for the masses, and on the Oculus store and through Gear VR for the purists.

What do I need to use Sky VR?

sky-vr-hardwareBecause the Sky VR app is available on several platforms, the hardware requirements are quite basic. As a start, anyone with an Android smartphone running Lollipop can access the content through the app, even without a VR headset. Using a standard headset will enhance the experience, allowing you to easily view the 360° content. Using a good set of headphones is also recommended, helping you feel like you are really within the content you’re watching. When reviewing the Sky VR app, we used a basic set of iCandy VR goggles and some Sony BTN 200 headphones, which worked really well. Don’t forget, you can pick up VR viewers, cheap as chips, in Flying Tiger these days.

What to watch on Sky VR?

Ok, so you’ve downloaded the app and have your headset and have your headphones at the ready. What should you watch first? There is a lot of choice within the Sky VR app to keep you occupied. If you’re a sports fan, you can relive Leicester City’s league win last season, or watch Anthony Joshua prepare for his World Title bout. For movie fans, you can put yourself into The Jungle Book, and experience meeting King Louis and Baloo from Mowgli’s perspective. Or perhaps you’d like to sit and watch an interview with the cast of Suicide Squad in 360. The content is bite-sized, so you won’t spend hours on the app, but there is more than enough to give you a quality VR experience.

How to watch The Grand Tour in Ireland

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Update: Amazon Video is now available in Ireland. We’ve got the lowdown on how you can easily watch shows like The Grand Tour.

Top Gear’s new presenters getting a luke-warm reception has left most of asking if we can watch The Grand Tour in Ireland.

What is The Grand Tour

the grand tour in ireland prime trial

Not soon after the dramatic exit of Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear, closely followed by Richard Hammond and James May, rumours emerged about their next venture. Thankfully, they are back, and they are back with a bang. The Grand Tour is an Amazon Original Series which will be exclusively available for Amazon Prime Video customers.

You can expect some of the old madness from the lads’ Top Gear days. Actually, it’s likely to ramp up as episode reportedly boasts a £4.5 million budget. That means expensive cars, some pretty obviously orchestrated laughs and big bangs. All in all, it means entertainment.

Can I watch The Grand Tour in Ireland?

It’s not as straight-forward as click a few buttons, unfortunately. Amazon Prime Video is exclusively available in the UK and you the terms and conditions state that you shouldn’t hide your location to get around location blocking. Naturally, this indicates that people are actively bypassing Amazon’s efforts to block international viewers.

So, in order to watch The Grand Tour in Ireland, you must first hide your locations. More to the point, you must trick the system into believing you are in the UK. What you’ll need for this is a VPN or Virtual Private Network. The likes of Invizbox Go will help you out here, or the Chrome plugin – Hola. Once you have Hola set up, get yourself an Amazon Prime trial. It’s best you test these things with trials.

Amazon Prime Free Trial

Totally important update 17/11/2016: Amazon has announced that they will be rolling their Amazon Prime video streaming service to over 200 countries in December. Ireland should be included, with new episodes of the show released every week.

When can I watch The Grand Tour?

It’s not much longer now. After the damp squib that was Top Gear’s return, it’s felt like an eternity waiting for The Grand Tour to begin. Sure, Matt le Blanc was the surprise package but Chris Evans was desperate. The first episode will be available on Amazon Prime Video from November 18th, with new episodes every Friday.

 

Google Pixel, Google Daydream, Google Home and more

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The simultaneous launch of so many Google products is a stroke of genius. While many organisations have been developing products and services to cater to the consumer’s needs, Google sat back and observed. With their findings complete, today Google shared the fruits of their labors – starting with Google Pixel.

Google Pixel is set to take on the Apple iPhone 7

Moving away from the Nexus branding, the Pixel, created by HTC, was clearly out to take on, and make fun of, the Apple iPhone 7. Look no further than the colour range on show to get how far Google are willing to take the piss taking.

While introducing the Pixel, the Google team really went after the features Apple had bigged up on their flagship. When Apple claim to have “DSLR-like” photo capturing abilities, Google’s Pixel received an endorsement from DXO – camera quality benchmark specialists.

Three other shots were fired across the bows of Apple at the Pixel’s launch event. Google took aim at the industry leaders by highlighting their inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack and loads of memory for images. Finally, Google would finally appear to have moved Google Now into a position where they can take on Siri. Now titled Google Assistant, the event centred largely on this service.

With the cheap shots aside, the most impressive feature listed today was a particular battery stat. With a fifteen minute charge, the Google Pixel will last for 7 hours. Madness.

Google Daydream View is set to take on the Samsung Gear VR

The Google Pixel is the first phone to be Google Daydream ready. Google setting the standard for an industry is nothing unusual – just look at Android. In order to enjoy Google’s VR platform, you’ll need a phone that’s ready and the Google Daydream View headset. The Daydream View has been designed by Google to mimic materials people actually wear; not gadgets and tech stylings. As a result, Google Daydream View is lightweight and comfortable, even if you wear glasses.

Google pixel is the first smartphone compatible with google daydream view

Google have taken their time and really removed the niggles from their VR headset. Not only does it look much more comfortable, the Daydream View is also remarkably simple. You pop your phone in and close the flap. The phone connects wirelessly and auto aligns the screen to the lenses. Beautiful piece of work which solves a frustration we’ve seen with countless VR headsets to date.

Google Home to take on Amazon Echo

It may look like a simple speaker, but the Google Home is set to become the nerve center to your home. Building on the importance of Google Assistant, Google Home is a voice-controlled helper around the home. Connect to Spotify and control playback by speaking with the unit.

If you have privacy concerns, you can mute the mic and should design is an issue, unlike the Amazon Echo, Google Home is customisable.

Other than these devices, Google announced a new Chromecast capable of streaming 4K and a home WiFi solution. There’s plenty there to keep appetites whetted for the time being anyway.

How to get the Google Pixel in Ireland

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Google have just launched their latest handset, but if you’re hoping to get the Google Pixel in Ireland, it’ll take a little effort.

Pixel is unlikely to be for sale in Ireland

Google Pixel replaces the Nexus as the behemoth company’s flagship smartphone. Fans of Google smartphones will be aware that it’s rather difficult to actually get your hands on the Android founder’s phone. While the older Nexus models are available in the likes of Argos and the Pixel tablet can be found in Currys, there are no Irish retailers dedicated to selling Google’s smartphones from launch.  That doesn’t mean you can’t get the Google Pixel in Ireland.

Get the Google Pixel in Ireland via the UK

Sure, the Brexit train rolls on, but for the foreseeable future, ordering from the UK to Ireland isn’t a big deal. There are a few places where you can order the Google Pixel from. If you look around the UK sites, the likes of carphonewarehouse.com and currys.co.uk. While it will be available from EE, they will only offer on contract.

get the Google Pixel in Ireland through Currys UKOrdering from UK sites like Carphone Warehouse can be a little tricky. Their terms and conditions do state you must be within the United Kingdom to use their services. Often, ordering with a UK Parcel Motel address lets you sidestep this, but some boards.ie users highlighted their experience of canceled orders. Currys UK are included in Parcel Motel’s list of stores that works well with UK delivery to Ireland. That means you can get the Google Pixel in Ireland for £599.99 plus €3.99 delivery to Parcel Motel.

Of course, you might also be able to trick your way through to the UK Google Store using some sort of VPN, but unfortunately, Hola won’t work.

When is the Google Pixel available in Ireland?

Well, as we said, it’s unlikely that the Google Pixel will be available in Ireland anytime soon. It will, hopefully, be available through the suppliers listed above from October 20th.

What will be available in Ireland from the Google Store?

Google are selling the new Chromecast Ultra and Pixel C tablet from their Irish store.

Made by Google: Pixel announcement and more

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Today, Google stepped up their place in the world of hardware, announcing a plethora of products at their Made by Google event.

Catch the entire event below, unless reading about them is more your thing.

 

Our first look at FIFA 17

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The football word is pretty unpredictable – just ask Big Sam. To have something pretty regular keeps us from shaking ourselves to sleep at night. One such regularity is the annual release of football games, like FIFA 17.

Before last season, a team like Leicester winning the Premier league was saved only for the FIFA, PES and Football Manager players of the world. But how does trying to achieve the impossible rate in EA’s latest instalment of the world’s biggest footy game?

FIFA 17 features a number of changes this year. Two of the biggest talking points have been the new and glossy Frostbite engine which has totally taken over the EA arsenal and a new story mode similar to the old Fight Night games. To see the power of the engine simply look at this clip:

It’s truly staggering. Just as we think the graphics can’t get any better they make subtle but literally game changing changes.

FIFA 17: The Journey

Do we all remember the legendary Fight Night series EA ungraciously sidelined a few years ago? Well one of the best parts of this game was the story-based campaign mode. This is completely new to football gaming, but was a staple of the Fight Night series for years and was also the making of the NBA 2K series. Last year’s edition was directed by Spike Lee and EA wanted to carry this drama into FIFA 17.

The premise for the series is choc-a-bloc full of clichés and cheese. In fact, most of the story mode would be at home in the Goal movies and that’s kind of why it works. Alex Hunter, the future of football the wonder-kid, is the main character of the story. Right now, its only the English Premier League – a shame because it would be great to lead Limerick FC into European greatness. Anyway, a vital trial takes place and thus the story begins.

A novel way of weaving in mini-games

Games, training and cut scenes are the order of the day. In the games select either your player like Be A Pro or the whole team like a standard game. Through the games and mini-games, your performances decide whether you make the team or will be Wayne Rooney’ed right to the sideline. There is a very linear feel to The Journey, leaving me wondering if you really are having any affect on the journey at all.

Gameplay

Of course, the most important aspect of every new FIFA is the gameplay. The gameplay is fluid yet intricate with combos and multiple motions that separate the good players from the greats. The downside being the now natural slow and almost defensive-minded approach to the game. If you’re coming from PES, you might very well struggle to get up to pace. In PES 2017, things happen naturally. The game cleverly knows if you’re trying to dink the ball over the top of defenders with the outside of your foot. In FIFA 17, you have to do all this for yourself. Which is why I prefer the game. Sure it can be frustrating at times but that’s half the fun. That moment you drill that ball into the top corner and see that look on your mates face it’s all worthwhile.

The players of FIFA 17

There have been some modifications to the players with stronger players now far more commanding. The likes of Pogba are able to storm through the middle, while tricky lads like Hazard a damn sight more nimble in possession. The use of Frostbite does rack up the number of animations, and this makes a visible difference. Players will force a header downwards, curl a free-kick or twist their body to spray a ball downfield. These don’t make a whole load of difference to overall game-play, but they help things flow, and look, better.

Bloody set pieces

And now onto the downsides of FIFA 17. The set piece system at the moment is a nuisance. Sure enough, it will take some time to figure out but so many combos and positioning changes decipher how the ball will be struck, while great, are bloody difficult. Don’t even get me started on penalties.

The verdict

Simple and effective, once again another strong showing from the guys in EA and one that we think is the beginning of something big as the switch to the new engine is the groundwork for future titles. With super realistic graphics and detailed facial expressions that finally make the players look like more than mere robots.

The story based career mode seems like a fun novelty every user will be deep into for all of about two weeks before switching back to the normal season, online or the fan favourite Ultimate team.

Tough set pieces will have you pulling your hair out, but when you friends are screwing it up too, does it really matter? Get ready to pull up next to your mates and bring your finest smack talk because we will be.

Keep an eye on Goos3D for the battle between Jon and Gary.