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Samsung Unpacked 2016 Live Blog and Live Stream

Marty

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21st February 2016

Samsung Unpacked 2016 Live Blog and Live Stream

The path to one of the most anticipated handsets of the year (already) ends this Sunday with Samsung Unpacked 2016. While their are plenty of rumours floating around the tech world, it’s only at the Unpacked event do we get official confirmation of all the new twin flagships specifications. Will the new Samsung Galaxy S7 support 360-degree video shooting and bring back micro SD memory expansion? These are the kind of questions that will be answered at this year’s Unpacked event, going live the day before Mobile World Congress kicks off on Monday.

Join us here, today from 6pm to view the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2016 Live Stream and Live Blog.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2016: Live Stream

Below you’ll find a video stream showing events unfold live. If you are a virtual reality user, you can even view the event in 360.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R5HN6oWdC4

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2016: Live Blog

For all the opinions coming out of the Samsung launched event, keep an eye below. If you have questions, fire them out.

MWC 2016: What to expect and what we want to see

Tech News

Dean

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20th February 2016

0

MWC 2016: What to expect and what we want to see

To put the Mobile World Congress into context for you non-tech nerds, it’s the tech industry’s Superbowl, World Cup or Wrestlemania. It’s where the biggest guys in the industry come together in Barcelona and announce their upcoming products being released this year. Of course, Apple don’t like sharing the spotlight with the competition and announce new products at their own keynote events. We not only see the newest smartphones on the market but also tablets, wearables and hopefully a couple of VR Headsets this year.

Last year we were introduced to Samsung’s Galaxy S6, the HTC M9, the Huawei Watch and the innovative Galaxy S6 Edge. So what can we see this year and what would we like to see from some of the companies that will be there on the

MWC 2016: Samsung

Last year we saw the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, which did not disappoint. There was a design overhaul as Samsung moved towards an aluminium body as opposed to the plastic looking Galaxy S5. The stylishness of the Galaxy S6 earned it a spot it the “fashion” movie of the year, Zoolander 2. Also, the sheer the power coming out of it was incredible. Not so popular was the choice to get rid of the SD card slot installing a non-removable battery and opting out of waterproofing. Sure, these all seemed to be downgrades from the Galaxy S5 but when you use it you can see it’s far from a downgrade.

Samsung at MWC 2016: What we want to see

Some rumours have been knocking around already, but there are the perennial upgrades we’d hope for. As always, better battery life is always nice, so we’ll have some of that Samsung. Also, paying an extra 100 for an extra 32GB of storage was ridiculous when the year before you could pay a base price for a Galaxy S5 and pay €20 for a 32GB SD card, saving 80 bucks. In other words, don’t do an Apple on it Samsung and bring back an SD card slot. And if ye could bring back the water resistance for shower tunage, that would be great too.

Few will deny the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, but it would be great to see increased functionality from the curved areas of the screen. Last year the Galaxy S6 Edge yielded minimal usability. Many who bought it said they wish they got the regular Galaxy S6 instead owing to the Galaxy Edge does so little and it’s annoying trying to hold it. If we’re going to spend an extra €100 or €200 for curved glass,we need it to be justified Samsung.

Samsung at MWC 2016: What to expect

Camera

One of the main upgrades the public wants to see year after year. Let’s face it, smart phones have more or less replaced cameras, so if a smart phone is going to be a number once choice for cameras, manufacturers really need to up their game. Samsung hears you. The rear camera is rumoured to be 20MP, with f-2 aperture for even better low light conditions. The front camera is rumoured to be a very impressive 13MP, which Snapchat users and selfie takers will be beaming to hear. However recent updates have played down the 20MP camera rumour and reckon it’ll have a 12MP with a better sensor and quicker auto-focus.

Battery

What good is it all if it dies all the time? Battery life is a main attraction to consumers these days. If our battery isn’t going to last the day, I want it charging fast! And Samsung are looking to bring just that with their fast charging technology. It is rumoured that the Galaxy S7 will take about 40 minutes to get a full charge. You’ll also have the option for wireless charging. Not only this, they have also recently trademarked the term ‘Always on Display’. Apparently it gives us updates on weather, time, notifications and more whilst using little battery power.

As for removable batteries? It doesn’t look like Samsung will be opting in again, but they are bringing out a rumoured 3000 mAh battery for the Galaxy S7 and 3600 mAh for the Galaxy S7 Edge, two big upgrades on last years battery capacities.

Memory

It also looks like for now we will still not be getting an SD card slot in the phone. So if you’re looking to upgrade but 32GB doesn’t do you, be willing to pay a hefty price for an 64GB model..

MWC 2016: HTC

HTC is like the Spurs of the Smart Phone of the tech industry. Still considered a heavy weight and one of the best brands around, but they still can’t keep up with the likes of Arsenal, Man City or Leicester… apparently. I had the One M8 and the One M8s, I got the chance to use the One M9, and afterwards, I felt no desire to upgrade to it. It had a couple of features like telling you about restaurants and landmarks in your location (available through a software upgrade anyway), but the battery was still poor. The battery was possibly worse then the One M8 as its running an octa-core processor. With my upgrade due this year, I’d like to see something good from the One M10 because I am a big fan of their phones and design.

HTC at MWC 2016: What we want to see

The front facing speakers need to stay as this is probably one of HTC’s best features, it’s very attractive to music listeners and the overall audio quality is much better then some phones I’ve compared it to including Samsung and Sony. Design-wise, the curved back really does fit your hand very comfortably and you don’t feel like you might drop it unlike other models with squarer backs.

Some things do need to change though, including the battery. While using the One M9, I noticed it died quicker then the One M8. This is probably because of the massive upgrade to an octa-core processor. They did upgrade the battery, but it wasn’t big enough to handle the power and it needs to be addressed.
A big priority for HTC needs to be giving the phone new features instead of upgrading existing ones which they’ve been getting away with since the One M7. Water proofing would be an upgrade camera users would appreciate. If you’re going to have a 20MP camera, it would be nice to take these vivid pictures underwater too. It also is probably time to enter the finger print scanner game also.

HTC at MWC 2016: What to expect

Nothing… at least at MWC 2016. HTC have announced they will hold their own event in April to release the phone.

Innovation

The CEO has come out and said we should expect significant improvements and innovations from their latest flagship. With leaked images (right) emerging with a radical, if not Samsung/Apple looking design, change may be on the horizon. Water proofing is rumoured along with wireless charging; two features that are becoming more common with flagship phones. There is also expectation we could see a finger print scanner built into the home button. If these rumours are true, the One M10 is a big upgrade from the One M9 and could be a good runner this year

Power

It’s expected that the One M10 will support Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 820 chipset, which most manufacturers will probably be adopting this year, including Samsung’s Galaxy S7.

Battery

The One M10 is rumoured to don a 3000 mAh battery as opposed to the One M9’s 2840 mAh. Hopefully this battery will prove enough to be able to handle the 820 processor.

MWC 2016: Sony

Sony have announced that they will be there on the 22nd. But they have kept their plans on the lowdown, so we’re not sure exactly to expect. It’s unlikely we’ll get an Xperia Z6 or any other smart phone since their flag ships are only a couple of months old. But they’re are rumours of a Xperia Z6 and Xperia Z6 compact tablet, and with the Sony Smartwatch 3 over a year old we’ll surely see some sort of upgrade in the wearables area. So nothing much to expect from Sony right now, so we look forward to what they have in store for us.

MWC 2016: LG

No surprises here, LG have already announced the G5 will be unveiled on the 21st in Barcelona. But will they have anything else up their sleeves?

LG at MWC 2016: What we want to see

LG seem to be A1 in the smart watch game. The design and features are slick and I wouldn’t mind seeing and upgrade in this department to see how they can innovate it more.

We’re already pretty sure it has an ‘Always on’ mode similar to what is rumoured on the Galaxy S7. It’ll also come in 64GB and with the option of adding up 200GB of memory in their SD card slot. The camera is said to be a dual 20MP, with an 8MP front camera. With a 5.6” screen, it’s also meant to have 4K screen resolution. The screen is also said to have an Edge-like feature similar to the Galaxy S7, but some released pictures apparently of the G5 disprove that rumour.

One of the biggest rumours, probably by any smart phone manufacturer this year, is the possibility of an eye-scanner to unlock the phone. LG are supposedly working with IRIENCE, a South Korean-based technology company that specialises in eye-scanning technology. The eye scanner will be the most secure form of security on any smart phone and could see the beginning of the end for the finger print scanner. It’s supposed to able to read your eye from about 50cm, so your phone can still be unlocked at a reasonable and realistic distance from your face when you normally hold your phone. Although it is supposed to be slower then the finger print scanner so could either be hot or a flop.

The last and most mysterious thing to expect from the G5 is the ‘Magic Slot’. Apparently there is going to be a slot that you can stick something into. Most rumours are saying it’ll be a battery expansion pack. But the battery is also supposed to be getting upgraded to 4000 mAh, a big upgrade from the G4’s 3000 mAh.

MWC 2016: Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality at MWC 2016: HTC

Enough about phones for now. This year we are expected to see HTC’s first rendition on the Virtual reality world. The HTC Vive. The screens inside the headset are rumoured to be longer then what we see on the Oculus Rift, meaning we can now look up with our eyes rather then moving our whole head to look up, but that’s not the best part by far.

With the headset, you also get 2 wireless infra-red cameras,which bring us up to a to a total of 73 motion sensors including the 2 controllers that come with it for gaming. So you can now walk around your virtual reality space with more freedom. They also work with more then one headset at a time, so feel free to have a virtual reality party on Mars with your friends! Another cool feature gamers will be raving about is HTC’s partnership with Valve. Valve are looking to release and open API so that their SteamVR games will be available on multiple headsets.

Virtual Reality at MWC 2016: Samsung

While the approach isn’t as scientific as HTC, Samsung’s Gear VR is an impressive piece of kit. Using the Samsung handset in the VR headset slashes the cost of a VR experience while still having the joy of seeing an Oculus logo on it. VR is set to be a really big part of tech in 2016, with Samsung playing their part. The forthcoming Unpacked Event is even set to be streamed in 360-video.

Tomorrow is the big day when it is all going to kick off and you’ll be able to catch everything live from the Samsung Unpacked event here with Goos3D. This is just a small handful of some awesome tech that is going to be revealed tomorrow. From the choices above, i’ve got my eye on that G5. If I sell a kidney that is.

IFTTT Series: WeMo Lights

Marty

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16th February 2016

0

It’s only right an proper that our IFTTT Series moves on from the IFTTT app itself to look at WeMo lights created by American company Belkin. Founded in 1983, today Belkin is a market leader in home automation technology through it’s WeMo division.

WeMo have been involved in IFTTT from the very start, being the first piece of hardware to have its own channel. The vast majority of WeMo products proudly display the IFTTT logo on their packaging, showing how central the application is to Belkin’s range. Whether it is because of the visual impact or the practical uses, the most popular WeMo device is the LED Lighting Sets. From your smart phone, you can control your home lighting, anywhere in the world.

On a recent trip to Germany, I tested it out for myself. I also have a WeMo NetCam in place, so I was able to see the lights in my apartment turn on and off within a second of sending a command from my phone. Admittedly, one will feel like quite the nerd showing this off, but you can’t help but take a step back for a moment and think about how insane that is. A tap of a screen flicks on a light bulb that is thousands of kilometres away. This is space age technology that the average smart phone owner can enjoy in the home for a very small price.

WeMo lights specs

There are some grass routes facts and figures you’ll need to know if you are shopping for light bulbs, whether they are smart or not. Regarding efficiency, you can be rest assured that the bulbs are great, earning an environmentally and pocket friendly A+ rating. Considering these lights are more expensive to the standard, owing to the technology involved, they will typically last for quite some time. Belkin claim their WeMo light bulbs will last for up to 23 years (but that’s only with use of 3 hours per day). The real value of course here comes with greater control over your lightening which should reduce usage in the long run.

In terms of brightness, WeMo lights are plenty bright, weighing in with a 60W equivalent rating. The cool feature which came as a neat surprise to myself is the fact that you can dim the lights too. Brilliant for the romantics out there.

Best IFTTT recipes for WeMo lights

Bedtime lights off

This is genius. You know that feeling when the bedroom is cold, you’re warm under the duvet and you realise you didn’t get the lights. Not a problem, you could reach for your smart phone, load the WeMo app and switch them off, or you could do what every single person does before bed every night. This recipe will turn off your bedroom WeMo lighting when you plug your Android phone in. Isn’t that neat? Also great if your other half falls asleep with the lamp on and they give out when you elbow them to turn it off.

Sunset lights on

This is a personal favourite due to the convenience. There is a strange part of me that is extremely lazy. Wait, I meant to say large part of me that is extremely lazy. So as the room slowly gets darker to the point of me thinking I need to turn on a light, I am struck with the inner turmoil that the couch is really comfy. Fear not my lazy amigo, This recipe automatically turns on your WeMo lights when the the sun sets. You are living in the future people.

Emergency lighting

This is for the people who think home automation is nothing but a gimmick. If you have a connected device at home for safety, such as Nest Protect or Smart Roost, you can have an alert from this device turn on a group of lights towards your home’s exits. Systems such as these will save lives in low light situations. I can also vouch for these bulbs and say they are bloody bright on full whack.

Turn lights on when you get home

Android

iOS

Two different approaches here, making evident just how flexible the IFTTT system is in letting you create what works for you. The Android version will pop you lights on as soon as your smartphone connects to a particular WiFi connection (home for example). The iOS version works on location, so when you enter the home you can expect your lights to be on already. Little bit of genius that.

Don’t for get the DO Button

This is one of the IFTTT team’s latest improvements. So far, everything we’ve discussed has been an automated reaction, but what if something happens outside the recipes you’ve created? DO Button is a great feature that provides you with a virtual button to trigger actions similar to an IFTTT recipe. Better still, if you have an Android Wear device, you have your light switch on your wrist at all times. Here is my Huawei Watch in action with the DO button.

WeMo Light Adaptor

One pro tip. You will more than likely only be able to pick up the EU screw style fitting, while most homes in Ireland use the bayonet fitting. Luckily, you will find the perfect adaptor in most hardware stores, or on the cheap in IKEA. Here you can pick up 2 for €1.50.

WeMo Lights: The verdict

Sure, WeMo lights are likely to set you back a little more than your standard lights, but they are available on Amazon from around €70. Remember you can avail of any free UK delivery offers you see to Ireland using Parcel Motel. WeMo lights are also money well spent from the point of view that this is simple to setup home automation that will impress visitors and give them a visual of how tech savvy you have become. A great way to dip your toe into the waters of home automation.

Martin Heydon’s Back to the Future election campaign

Entertainment News

Marty

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15th February 2016

0

Martin Heydon’s Back to the Future election campaign

Perhaps one of the most recognisable trilogies of all time, Back to the Future has been chosen by Kildare South TD, Martin Heydon, as the perfect medium for getting his message across.

Within just three minutes, Heydon manages to fit in quite an impressive amount of information on his policies and efforts to date which can, in some way be related to Back to the Future under the umbrella title, Secure your Future. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll also see the signature red vest, Doc Brown and the De Lorean appear throughout. With some fantastic quotes, like the one about the ring road and some bold predictions including a 2019 All Ireland win for Kildare, one can only hope there are some better election promises in this video too.

Watch for yourself here, and let us know below if this is complete tripe or genius.

Then again, if you’ve seen my recent costume from a festival in Germany, you’d be forgiven for thinking I’m biased.

Zoolander 2: Blue Steel or Blue Waffle?

Marty

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15th February 2016

0

It’s been 15 years since Derek Zoolander strutted the runway and took down evil fashionista Mugatu in his attempts to assassinate the Malaysian Prime Minister. Now, Zoolander is back, but is this sequel more Magnum than Choc Ice? With the popcorn taste still fresh in my mouth, I’ll let you know.

What is Zoolander 2, a sequel for ants?

Yes, I can use a quote out of context and spin it into a section title that makes no sense. Zoolander 2 is the natural money spinning successor to the first movie, but there is of course a story line there. Someone is killing the world’s most famous popstars, with only one piece of evidence tying them together. Their parting selfies on social media show a look, a look which INTERPOL’s fashion police department believe is connected to Derek Zoolander.

After the events that immediately follow the first movie, both Zoolander and his former enemy come friend Hansel (who is so hot right now) are in deep hiding and must be found to get to the bottom of the mysterious celebrity deaths.

We see you dropped another quote there

I did indeed, and Zoolander 2 is more or less and hour and a half of “haha, I remember that from the first film”. That’s not, necessarily, a bad thing. In fact, the various tips of the hat to the past jump between being laboured and being hilarious. Don’t worry, there are also plenty of plays upon the old jokes and injections of fresh humour too.

Who is in Zoolander 2?

Heads up, stop reading if you would rather go cameo spotting yourself.

Bono, Peyton Manning, Michael D. Higgins and Neil Armstrong. These are probably the four most famous people that do not feature in Zoolander 2. Honestly, everybody came out of the woodwork for this movie, as it’s an absolute money spinner. Kiefer Sutherland, Neal de Grasse Tyson, Benedict Cutestcucumberpatchinthegarden and a rake of fashion designers to name but a few.

Moving away from the human presence, some of the world’s biggest brands also spotted the opportunity to make an impact. Perhaps a sign of how little change we should expect to see from Samsung with the impending Galaxy S7 launch is signalled by how much money they pumped into this movie, gaining a poster position with their flagship Galaxy S6 handsets. In fact, product placement in Zoolander 2 is a sign of a much larger problem creeping into Hollywood as the movie probably earned a large portion of it’s overall profits from companies just like Samsung which naturally impacts on the overall creation of a movie.

While Zoolander 2 was ever going to be a work of art, one particular comparison between Derek Zoolander’s phone and a social media guy’s modern equivilant is the pinnacle of cringe in my own opinion. Uber, Samsung, countless fashion brands, and Fiat to name but a few feature. Actually, when this comes out on DVD there is quite a drinking game to be had between cameos and product placement.

Is Zoolander 2 worth going to see?

The big battle here was the battle for Valentines. There are probably countless couples who had to make the choice; Zoolander 2 or Deadpool. Without seeing Deadpool yet, hindsight would have seen be opt to wait for Zoolander 2 to come out on DVD or on demand, paying the top buck for Deadpool. That’s in choosing between two films and not to say I regret seeing Zoolander 2 on the big screen.

There are enough laughs and downright ridiculous bits and pieces throughout the hold your attention and make you chuckle once you get past what is a pretty horrendous opening fifteen minutes. If you stick out the whole movie, you’re unlikely to regret it. Here’s the trailer.

Black Hole Power: Plausible or preposterous

Tech News

Jon

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14th February 2016

0

Black Hole Power: Plausible or preposterous

Could all of the earth’s power problems be solved by black hole power? The world’s greatest mind, the modern day Einstein, brilliant despite suffering ASL, or the human R2D2. Whatever you might know him as, few would deny Stephen Hawking as being one of the most intelligent men to have graced our world. Now, the world’s greatest theoretical physicist (sorry Sheldon) has theorised that our world can be powered by forces beyond our earth.

Hawking has outlined a a theory stating that small black holes, the size of mountains, could be turned into power-stations. These theoretical power-stations could generate enough power to supply earth for as long as we need it…or destroy the world as we know it. What’s the old saying again? The difference between genius and insanity is common opinion. See, back in the day, those pesky science guys believed that black holes were regions of collapsed matter that was so dense that nothing, and I mean nothing, not even light, could escape from their gravitational pull.

That was before 1974 when the one and only Hawking put forward the idea that black holes leak quantum particles. This would become known as Hawking Radiation. Some black holes, which are billions of times bigger than the sun, are littered throughout the universe and they are so cold that they emit this Hawking radiation. Research now proposes that these mountain sized black holes would be much hotter due to their condensed nature and would therefore emit a higher frequency of Hawking Radiation.

“A mountain-sized black hole would give off X-rays and gamma-rays at a rate of about 10 million megawatts, enough to power the world’s electricity supply,” Hawking said in the lecture. “It wouldn’t be easy, however, to harness a mini black hole. You couldn’t keep it in a power station, because it would drop through the floor and end up at the center of the Earth.” So basically what he means here is make a balls of it and we all die.

As if the threat of dying isn’t enough, there is another issue. No one has been ever able to find evidence of these holes and according to one scientist Sabine Hossenfelder (Must not make Big Bang joke) , a physicist at the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics. After the lecture she stated:

“in theory, these black holes formed early in the universe’s history, when matter existed in a hot soupy plasma. As this primordial soup got squished together and flung apart, causing fluctuations in density, the theory held, occasionally some regions got so dense that the matter collapsed in on itself, forming mini black holes. To form these primeval black holes, most models assume a high level of density fluctuations, which also tend to produce many more black holes than are present in the universe. You don’t want everything to end up in black holes”.

Good words there Sabine, we don’t want everything to end up in a black hole. you truly are a genius. It’s still cool to think that, assuming these black holes are real and that people could actually detect them. It could take 100,000 years to reach these emphatic power stations, but this problem can be solved by two different, but equally barmy, ideas. Hossenfelder believes that “by using the gravity of a much larger object, people could theoretically tow a mini black hole, eventually coaxing it to sit in Earth’s orbit”. I don’t want to burst bubbles, but this seems like a ridiculous idea. I mean pull a black hole into the Earth’s orbit that is just calling for trouble surely?

Which leaves the alternative of venturing out into deep space to retrieve the universe’s most deadly pot of gold is surely out of the question? Stephen Hawking laughs at your lack of hope. Hawking believes the Large Hadron Collider has the capacity to create these micro black holes and power the planet forever. That is dependent on them also being able to create extra dimensions of space time; whatever that is. Oh and did I mention this still has the capacity to kills us all? Thanks Steve give us hope and new nightmares in one fell swoop.

You won’t be charging your phone on black hold power any time soon, but to cheer up the what would have been a conclusion on a rather dreary note, here is a video of Stephen Hawking facing off against the grand daddy of science himself, Albert Einstein, in a rap battle. You will learn at least one scientific fact and perhaps the nerdiest put down of all time. Enjoy.

Valentines Day and Chill

Entertainment News

Marty

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13th February 2016

0

You may have forgotten to pick up that horrible cheap teddy wrapped in plastic, but you can still sit back and chill while nailing Valentines Day.

Spotify and Chill

Walk into the room, tap your phone and have the tones of Barry White do all the hard work for you. Spotify is an absolute essential piece of kit for Valentines and compliments dinner perfectly. You can play some Barry White or maybe go old school with Kissed By a Rose. Personally, that is the game winning track regardless of the situation. I know Batman Forever will be played tonight.

Spotify have even done all the hard work and created a Spotify and Chill section so you can’t pick shite songs and ruin the mood. Alternatively, if you plan to spend the evening in a foursome with Bridget Jones, Ben and his mate Jerry, Spotify offer a Galentines Day playlist to “celebrate the best day of the year with the people who matter most”.

Marvin and Chill

After you’ve burned dinner or forgot to turn on the switch at he wall, you’ll have to order some nice food instead. Luckily enough, the guys over at Marvin.ie will gladly look after you. Protip – pop on over to this bargain alert thread on Boards.ie to see if anyone has a Marvin.ie coupon to save some money.

What says romance better than frugal living and a battered sausage.

Netflix and Chill

After dinner and some sexy tunes, grab that glass of Lidl’s finest red and launch onto the couch. For one day of the year, you won’t be spending the length of a movie scrolling through seemingly endless lists of movies and there is one one category that matters.

Yup, the romance section, where you’ll classics such as Days of Thunder and Academy Award Winner Elect, Leonardo DiCaprio’s, Romeo and Juliet.

Pornhub and Chill

You messed it up didn’t you. Ah well, the team over at Pornhub won’t judge you. Just don’t forget to use incognito mode and grab your VR headset – you may as well bring it all into the 21st century.

For the day that’s in it, Pornhub are also offering everyone free premium membership for the day. You won’t need credit card details either, just an email to access glorious High Definition pornography.

Crowdfunded: Zone DPMX – Analytical solution for cyclists

Tech News

Marty

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11th February 2016

0

Crowdfunded: Zone DPMX – Analytical solution for cyclists

The latest Irish crowd sourced campaign, Zone DPMX, is set for success within it’s opening 24 hours on Kickstarter. The wearable device is designed to measure precise rider power (watts) and cadence (rpm) as you ride.

Zone DPMX: Breaking the cycle

Until the Zone DPMX tha majority of riders have found themselves frustrated on several occasions as they find their power meter strapped to a different bike to the one they are using. This wearable device fastens to the rider’s shoes, removing both the treat of forgetting and different calibrations per bicycle. Now, I won’t lie, I’ve used a lot of words and terms here I’m not too up on, but this Irish Kickstarter campaign is powering to success.

Irish you say. Who makes the Zone DPMX?

The Zone DPMX is designed by Dublin based outfit, Brim Brothers. The company was founded by Barry Redmond in 2008 with the sole focus of creating a more convenient ANT+ compatible cycling analytic tool. While development to date has been encouraged by Enterprise Ireland and Growing Capital, the companies Kickstarter campaign would appear to be the naked flame needed to power this device over the finish line.

Who is Zone DPMX for and how much will it cost?

If you are cycling in the park on a mountain bike during the weekend, you can probably do without this. The Zone DPMX provides cyclists with a solution for focussed training and detailed riding analytics. Brim Brothers claim that measuring power surpasses measuring other metrics such as heart-rate. The Zone DPMX can be used either on the left foot or on both feet for increased accuracy, with the Kickstarter campaign’s Super Early Bird coming in at €390.

The Zone DPMX is for cyclists looking to take their game to the next level and while it may not be for everyone, we love nothing more than seeing an Irish Kickstarter campaign roar to success within hours of being released to the world.

Bill pay offers: Are they the best value?

Tech News

Marty

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11th February 2016

0

In the coming months, many will not only choose a new smartphone but will also have to choose between bill pay offers and pre-pay offers. We’ve already seen this question pop up as Three customers are free to leave contracts. To say the very least, this can be a difficult maze to negotiate, so we’ve created a calculator which can hopefully make your decision a little easier. First, a little context.

Bill pay offers

Bill pay offers are provided by Ireland’s mobile service providers; namely Vodafone, Three, Meteor, eir, iD and Tesco Mobile. These companies provide customers with contracts, spreading the cost of minutes, texts, data and a new shiny phone over a period of 12, 18 and 24 months. Every month, throughout the contract period, the customer will pay a set amount of money for the package they’ve picked, but may also pay for usage outside this package (such as roaming). Depending on the phone and bill pay offer in question, the customer may also pay an initial fee to get a phone.

Chances are you’ve seen a few advertisements in store or heard from a sales person that a phone is “free” on certain plans, but is this really the truth? Well, that depends.

Prepay offers

While bill pay is paid monthly (after you’ve used your phone – a.k.a post pay), pre-pay, as the name suggests, requires the customer to already have some money, or credit, on their phone account in order to gain service. Sometimes, this credit will unlock bundles of minutes, texts and data in order to offer greater value. Unlike bill pay, there is not a large discount applied to the price of getting a handset, though there is a small saving for choosing a network. This small saving is essentially the difference between purchasing a locked and unlocked or SIM free handset.

Bill pay offers or pre-pay offers

Choosing between bill pay or pre-pay isn’t always straight forward. While the message “free” on certain plans is tempting, you should consider bill pay to be more like a hire purchase agreement. The contract isn’t to get you a free phone, but instead to offer you the convenience of not paying a large up-front sum of money for a new smartphone. Sometimes, paying that large sum of money in one go and choosing prepay, will save you money in the long run.

Bill pay offers versus pre-pay offers calculator

Our handy calculator will let you help you to compare the cost of bill pay versus pre-pay over a period of time. Simply tell us how much your phone will cost up front on bill pay and prepay, along with your monthly spend details and how long your contract is. We’ll work out which is better value.

We understand that this is only part of the decision-making process and that sometimes the convenience of bill pay will override prepay. Should you ultimately choose bill pay, there is one other great trick you can use to ensure you are getting the best plan for you.

KillBiller: Reduce your mobile bill

KillBiller is a free app which, when installed on your phone, can view your usage details before providing you with a detailed insight into which plan suits your needs most. You might very well be surprised at how little or much you are using your phone and how much you could be saving. The best thing about KillBiller is that your results are just that, yours. As always, if there are any questions that you may have, pop them in the comment section below where we will get back to you.

App of the Week: Metal – Reduce Facebook battery drain

Dean

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10th February 2016

0

App of the Week: Metal – Reduce Facebook battery drain

Facebook, connecting 1.44 Billion people worldwide. 1.24 Billion of those people are active users on a mobile device. An amazing feat for any industry. It’s plain and simple, Facebook is awesome, but it sure does drain your battery.

The problem: Facebook battery drain

Now, if you’re on Android, delete your Facebook app. Yes, you read it right, delete it. Don’t just get rid of it from your homepage or force stop it to save on power. Uninstall it. Immediately! Our beloved Facebook app is draining your battery and slowing down your phone by up to 15%. Not just the cheap plastic models either, I’m talking to you Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4, Xperia Z5 users too. Chris Cox, Facebook’s chief product officer even made his staff switch from iOS to Android because the app was using so much power and Android can handle it better. Even still, Android still struggles.

One of the most anticipated specs of most flagship phones released every year is battery life and processing power. People want their phones running faster and smoother while also having long battery life and not having to recharge it 3 or 4 times a day. And it turns out all this time the manufacturers have been doing it right, to some extent anyway. Deleting the Facebook App can make your phone last up to 20% longer.

Now don’t get me wrong, if you’re like me and are using your phone for probably 75% of the day, you’re going to see reduced battery life. Cut the manufacturers some slack, the power coming from these phones are on another level to the computers that sent man into space back in the 60’s, so it’s going to drain your battery. But this handy trick can help make your phone last longer.

The reason behind this is app developers are putting so much into their apps. When the Facebook app first came out, it was supposed to be a condensed rendition of the desktop version, but who would have predicted that the vast majority of Facebook users would be using the app over desktop version on a daily basis. Facebook soon realised this and are trying to give its users as much accessibility on the app as possible – and to be fair they did. The Facebook app is easy and efficient to use, even for the older generation who weren’t raised using smart phones, but Facebook is every iPhone and Android users worst enemy.

Instead of being a compact version of the desktop version, it pretty much does everything you can do on the desktop. The result? Shite battery, and slow phones. Your phones aren’t performing to their full potential because of the Facebook and Messenger apps. I know, I know. It’s a nuisance going onto your internet browser and log in through Facebook this way. It’s not as fluid, nor is the interface as easy to use as the app, but I have the solution to battery drain

The solution

Introducing Metal. Metal is an app that acts as a web wrapper for Facebook. Compared to the Facebook app, it’s not nearly as heavy on your battery, your phone runs faster and you can access Facebook from any app with ease. Simply scroll down from the top of your screen and you can check messages, notifications, friend requests (or suggested friends so ye can still have a good creep) and scroll through your newsfeed. Instead of opening your Facebook app and going back and forth between apps and next thing you know you’ve 10 apps open draining your battery, you’re looking at your newsfeed on top of the app you are already viewing.

Metal is fluid and quick an just as easy to use as the Facebook app, if not easier and quicker. If you click into a link or a blog, it’s brings you to full screen just like it would if you opened it on the normal Facebook app. You can also go into the app as itself and scroll through it on the whole screen just like the normal Facebook app. It’s also compatible with Twitter so you can now save memory too as the two social networks work from the one app. Facebook is about 39MB, Twitter about 30MB, Metal is 3MB. That’s 69MB worth of apps condensed into 3MB, just 5% of the memory with all the functionality.

There are a couple of drawbacks, such as the messenger app being a little lighter with gifs, recordings, or the specialised emojis being limited to the full Facebook app. You have basically two choices, sacrifice your GIFs, or sacrifice your battery and smart phone performance. As Metal improves your battery by 20%, makes your phone 15% quicker and uses 95% less memory, this should be an easy choice. This app pretty much solves most of our issues we have with our expensive smartphones, if you’re not willing to give it a try, then there’s not much more that can be done to save your poor phone’s battery from an early death.

Download Metal now for Android.

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