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Dislike button coming to Facebook

Tech News

Marty

-

15th September 2015

They said it would never happen and back in the day, there were countless pages entitled “jeez babez lyk y dont facebook have no dislike button”, but the time is here. In what is perhaps the greatest technological advance since the telephone, the internet itself or modern day flying machines, Facebook are set to introduce the “dislike button”.

A friend is off on Monday while you have to work? Dislike Button

Is that a duck face your sporting in that selfie? Dislike Button

I support support sports team A but sports team B won. Dislike Button

Yes, you too could be disliking statuses and photographs on Facebook in no time. Speaking today at a Facebook Q&A, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, announced the social media site is working on. “I think people have asked about the dislike button for many years. Today is a special day because today is the day I can say we’re working on it and shipping it” Zuckerberg said.

So no more will you be forced to live in a world of positivity with Likes or passive aggressive silence.

Unboxing: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Marty

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14th September 2015

0

With a name that never seems to stop, we’ve had our first look and unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.

Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the full review, which will be available shortly.

New on Netflix Ireland: Narcos

Marty

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12th September 2015

0

Sex, drugs, and blood in the place of rock and roll, describes the latest Netflix Original series, with season one now available to stream.

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Pablo Escobar. Yep, you know the name. Narcos is basically based upon the exploits of Colombia’s most notorious drug lord, also known as the “The Cocaine King”. The story of Narcos is told from the viewpoint of Gringo DEA agent Steve Murphy.

Narcos is a fast paced multi-timeline story telling show. That is, sometimes you’re looking back at events, or seeing part of something happening in the future etc. If this sounds familiar, it might well be ringing bells with Breaking Bad. One big point is that Narcos is shot half and half in English and Spanish, meaning lots of subtitles. So if you’re watching while browsing, you’re going to miss quite a lot.

While Narcos might not reach the heights of the aforementioned Breaking Bad, it certainly is receiving respectable reviews, with 77% on Metacritic, 9.2 on IMDb, 76% critic satisfaction and 94% audience satisfaction score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The best news is that it’s already been renewed for a second season, which is good considering this does suffer from the “Passion of the Christ” complex in the sense that you’ve a fair idea of the shows destination. Narcos is however all about the journey and that journey is a roller coaster.

If we were to have on gripe with the show, it’s that the mustaches look awful. Fans of Entourage will remember Vincent Chase’s flop movie Medellin, as his fat suit and mustache came under criticism. Still, we can’t help but feel that Pablo looked better.

Just remember, that while you’ll be greeted with a disclaimer at the beginning of ever episode with a disclaimer stating some events have been changed for dramatic purposes, quite a lot of Escobar’s life was really that dramatic.

Check out the trailer below to see if Narcos is the next show you should lose a few days of your life to. If it’s not for you, check out some of these other crackers on Netflix.

Best Irish Websites: PaperBear.ie – Popup Cards

Tech News

Marty

-

12th September 2015

0

Kicking off our monthly look at some of the best Irish websites is PaperBear.ie, providers of pop up greeting cards.

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The Company

PaperBear.ie, was founded by Katie Delaney and Aaron Dowling following a trip to Spain. Just a few years later and they now stock over 200 unique designs. These cards are simply amazing, and really need to be seen to be believed.

The team at PaperBear.ie are great too as they openly invite people to make suggestions, stating many of their newest creations “come from customer’s feedback and recommendations”.

Also commendable is the value this high quality cards are available for. I don’t think anybody has ever visited Hallmark and said, “Jesus that’s great value for a card that’s going to be briefly looked at before being locked in a drawer for years”. For the same price if not better, you can get quality cards from an Irish company that will really wow who ever you are giving the card to. Chances are they’ll be showing it off to people saying how wonderful you are. Double win.

The Website

PaperBear.ie is a clean site, with a general theme that really suits the overall company look and feel. Functionality wise, the site needs a little bit of time and work. Primarily, a little focus is required on the bundling together of cards in their special offers, as it’s completely manual at the moment and the homepage slider is non-clickable. With that said, the quality of the merchandise completely outweighs the few shortcomings of the site, and while we are a tech site ourselves, we appreciate a good greeting card apparently.

Delivery

It’s always best to have an few auld cards stuck away in a drawer somewhere, and in a real emergency, these cards could easily be considered a gift in their. PaperBear.ie encourages you to stock up a little, with free next day delivery on items over €10, 3 for €10 offers and 2 deluxe cards also €10.

Also, follow the team on their Facebook page. They can regularly be found at various markets, where you can go and see these cards in person.

The Great Debate: Do people still send SMS messages?

Tech News

Marty

-

10th September 2015

0

The Great Debate: Do people still send SMS messages?

You know, there was a time when SMS messages were the dog’s kahonas, but do people still send SMS messages? We’ve taken a look at ComReg’s report on the second quarter of this year to see if they do.

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Back in the day…

God, when SMS came out first it was brilliant. Girls couldn’t hear your pre-pubesent voice breaking as you invited them for an awkward cinema date or anything, as screens worth of text messages were sent through the air instead. And could we ever forget Kate and “the lad from the bar”?

Ah yes, SMS messages, better known as texting, really revolutionised how we communicate. However, the humble text message has taken quite the hit in recent years. In a report released by ComReg we see that average usage of SMS messages has declined by over 1.3 million messages since 2011.

If you think about yourself for a moment, chances are the only time you send an SMS message is because it’s a particularly important message you didn’t trust WhatsApp with, or you were on holidays with no data. The latter here explains the demise of SMS messaging.

Make way for WhatsApp

So following a brief spike towards the end of 2011, the usage of SMS messaging went into a severe decline. Right along side that decline was an extremely consistent and strong increase in data usage; 82% of an increase between 2011 and 2015 to be precise. With increased demand for data, came better priced data followed by even more people using data again. It’s a vicious cycle really.

People naturally turned to the likes of WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger as you no longer had to worry about what network you mate was on. Hand in hand with this was the convenience of group messaging, which allows Junior B teams up and down the country share the best excuse for not making Friday night training.

Growing demand for faster data

ComReg has also provided some interesting insight into data usage by the average Irish mobile user.

ComReg issues Market Report for Q2 2015 http://t.co/KpJsUj3L7X http://t.co/Ck4VkxMcBQ pic.twitter.com/XRPJQepRh8

— ComReg (@comreg) September 10, 2015

We can see the average mobile user now makes use of 1.8GB of data. This is a massive increase from last year, an increase that accompanied by a public demand for speed. Since the introduction of 4G into the Irish market in late 2014, the number of mobile users regularly using 4G data has grown from 8.8% to 16.5% today.

We’re sure none of this is really surprising, except for the sharpness in decline that SMS messaging as experienced. Funnily enough, MMS messages, also known as the only way to send your mother/grandmother a picture message, has survived this decline, experiencing no major drop.

What was the last SMS message you sent? Let us know in the comments below.

Apple Launch Event: iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

Marty

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9th September 2015

0

Apple Launch Event: iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

It’s that time of year! Apple have held there big keynote and announced their new range of smartphones, spanning the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 Plus. There were also a few other bits and pieces announced, so here’s the run down of the main happenings.

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iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

As expected, Apple have opted for standard naming conventions and simply added an s to the existing handsets. A bold claim has been made in the new ad, also revealed at the Apple Launch Event, as Apple claim “the only thing that’s changed is everything”.

While this statement might be a little over dramatic, the iPhone 6s sees the introduction of more substantial changes than some of the past “s” handsets.

3D Touch

While our inner nerd is making this decision, this is the coolest new feature on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. While this is similar to the system employed by HTC, Apple have gone much further in implementing gestures and innovative screen usage. In short, by pressing the screen for a longer duration, you can “peek” further into sections of your iPhone 6s. For example, in the image you can see a long press on the phone button, which allows you to peek at your regularly called contacts. With a bit of practice, 3D Touch will make navigating your way around the phone much easier.

The best implentation sees 3D Touch allow you control running apps by a simple swipe from the right of the screen. So most importantly, this means you’re double tapping on the home button to knock off apps will be greatly reduced. Where there is a reduction in pressing buttons, you are likely to see a reduction in faulty buttons, which is always nice!

Camera

At long last, we thought we would never see the day. Apple have gifted their loyal iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus users with a bigger camera. The new 12MP iSight camera comes now as Apple apparently didn’t want to increase size until they could ensure the maintenance of the image quality.

To be fair, while we’re fairly sure the lads who took these photos were far from amateur photographers, the new camera does take amazing images.

For a brief moment we’re almost certain the crowd flinched in fear as a gigantic parrot invaded the stage.

A cool new feature seems to be bringing a Harry Potter fantasy into reality; moving pictures. When you take an image, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus take a one second clip either side of the photo you’ve taken. These gives you an mini clip that lets you relive a moment. Whether this is useful or not remains to be seen, but it is cool.

The good news doesn’t end there. Apple displayed an impressive video that was recorded using an iPhone 6s and on-board video editing software. Sure enough, it was probably in the hands of Stephen Spielberg or something, but nonetheless, the video is impressive.

https://youtu.be/1gYLOmKKhCk

Design

As expected, there are no big surprises that the iPhone 6s looks just like the iPhone 6. Keeping in touch with the Apple Watch and general fashion demands, Rose Gold enters the colour range. This will be a massively in demand handset to go along with Rose Gold watches from the likes of Mickey Kors and the rest.

Speaking of range…

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will continue to come in 16GB models, complimented by 64GB and 128GB. There will be no iPhone 6c, despite strong rumours there would be. While we’re on the topic of hardware, the latest “A” chip, the A9 will see your battery life extended through the annual efficiency improvements.

What else was announced?

So along with the phone that everyone expected, Apple announced a super-powered iPad Pro. With that they have finally embraced the pen. Well, it’s actually a pencil. For $99 iPad Pro users will be able to the the Apple Pencil. The marketing department have really let themselves go.

The US market are surely getting excited about the new Apple TV too. While there is a load of spec and features that will excite the masses, the device is unlikely to really take off in the Irish market for another while as the features will be limited. With that in mind, the new Apple TV will allow you to search by Siri. You know the way everyone has that one friend that can name actors and their films, well Siri just replaced them.

The final verdict

The features of the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are understated but will massively improve the user’s smartphone experience. We’re certain that many will joke that Apple have just tweaked things enough to bleed the money out of the market, but there is enough innovation here to justify the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Launch Date

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are set to launch on September 25th.

FIFA 16 demo now available

Gaming

Marty

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9th September 2015

0

If you’ve been counting down the days to the new FIFA 16 game, just like we have, there is a new scratch for that itch.

Today saw the launch of the FIFA 16 demo on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The launch of the demo, is really like pre-season in the real world of football. The FIFA 16 demo allows you to get in some important match practice before the big launch later this month. It also gives you a first look at some of the newest game features.

FIFA 16 FUT Draft

One of the biggest new features is FUT Draft. Here you pick your players in a draft style prior to going up against a competitor. The more you play the more you win. The cool thing here, is you get have a chance to test drive some of the games harder to get players. Here’s how our first draft team was to line up against Inter Milan.

Breaking our FIFA 16 duck

Following a bore 0-0 draw El Classico to open up the game, we test drove the draft mode pitting us against Inter Milan. Here is the Match of the Day recap.

12th minute

It’s opening day nerves. We concede a free kick on the edge of the centre circle. Doesn’t look like much of a threat before Inter pull out a worldy and an early goal of the season contender to put them 1-0 up. Nervous times in the Goos3D Cave.

41st minute

After a nervy start, the lads win the ball back in their own half. Posession quickly advances forward before the ball lands at Messi’s feet. A brief run, dummy and shimmy later and the Goos3D lads are back on level terms with Inter. It’s game on now Ger.

46th minute

To give Inter a taste of their own medicine, a rather inconspicuous free kick just inside the half sets up to Goos3D boys for a set piece, right from the training ground. Just like a Conor Salmon out of water, Messi gets a deft touch to lobbed free, doing just enough to take it past the keeper.

65th minute

A hearty tackle from Wolfsburgs Brazilian centre half, Naldo, sparks a great move, culminating in the completion of Messi’s hat trick, and consolidating the Goos3D lads lead at 3-1.

70th minute

No better example to show that the lads had settled into this game could be found above this cracking team goal. Ter Stegen starts the move with a simple pass. This is followed by 8 more passes, before Pastore smashes home a fantastic team goal to seal the victory with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Final Whistle – Goos3D 4 : 1 Inter Milan

In what became an exciting match, Goos3D’s first FUT draft team were run away victors. A belter opening goal from Inter may have rattled the lads, but showings of both fantastic team efforts and individual brilliance saw the victory out in the end. All that was left was for Messi to collect his first match ball of the FIFA 16 season.

FIFA 16: First Impressions

FUT Draft seems like it could be a bit of craic, while allowing you to earn coins and cards with players you used only dream of! The gameplay itself feels more natural too, with the shooting system taking a little getting used to. The “fancy dan” R1/RB pass seems to have been done away with too, but we’re sure we just need to learn the new controls.

All in all the demo has done little to whet our appetite, leaving us salivating for more rather than actually scratching the itch.

The FIFA 16 demo is now available for download from the Xbox Live and PlayStation store. FIFA 16 will launch its full version on September 22nd.

All Ireland Sunday (or Saturday) Apps

Marty

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5th September 2015

0

All Ireland ~~Sundays~~ Saturdays are arguably the biggest days on the Irish calendar. Whether it be big ball or small ball, here are a few apps which can help all interested parties have a cracking day.

Dublin can be a maze at times. Throw a few pints into the equation and you could spend the first half wandering around in circles after taking a 30 second toilet break and loosing your mates! Google Maps is very simple and straight forward, showing you the best route to get to your destination from your location.

If that destination is a little too from from your location, Hailo a cab. Even if you don’t have any cash on you at the time, Hailo can be linked with your bank card for fast payments. Better still, if Coppers goes a little wild after learning Sam or Liam are coming home with you and the bank card goes missing altogether, you can still get a taxi back to that couch you were promised, once you didn’t lose your phone! Click HERE for more info Hailo.

We all know that the GAA can send pulses racing more than most sports, but what’s the harm in a little flutter with your friends? BetYou allows you to place a bet on pretty much anything with friends and strangers, taking the focus away from the evil bookies! Download it and get a free bet to get you up and running! More info on BetYou HERE!

Snapchat seems to have shaken the majority of its “just for teens” title, as more and more people are downloading the self-destructing picture taking app. For those not familiar with the more intricate ins and outs, Snapchat also has a story feature where you can send all your pics for friends to have a gawk when they have a few minutes. This was recently developed to include Live. Live allows people attending large events to send their pictures to one gigantic story. GOOS3D can unfortunately not promise there will be one for the All Ireland’s, but it’s a handy app regardless to show everyone back home who couldn’t make the trip to Croaker!

This won’t be for everyone, but for those who like to have a little bit of live commentary while viewing the action first hand, they can download RTÉ Radio Player, where RTÉ Radio One can be streamed for free! Especially handy, as many mobile phone manufacturers have viewed the FM transmitters within phones as expendable.

Finally, if your phone has a power saving mode, use it! If not, turn down the brightness and turn off the screen when not in use. All Ireland Sunday is a long day! No harm having the charger in the pocket for when you stop for a bite to eat. Most places will charge you back up.

Think we missed something? Get in touch with GOOS3D via Facebook or @goos3dblog

Huawei Watch: US, European and Irish Update

Tech News

Marty

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3rd September 2015

0

Huawei Watch: US, European and Irish Update

Wearables aren’t necessarily for everyone, but the Huawei Watch seems to hold to capability of changing the prevailing thoughts of the wearable market.

Huawei have taken a very logical approach to overcoming the general hesitancy of the masses to adopt wearables – make the wearables more like normal watches. Huawei have managed to go one further with the Huawei Watch and created a simply gorgeous watch.

Even more interesting is the confirmation that the Android Wear powered Huawei Watch will be both Android and iOS compatible. We could rattle on about the spec, but it’s best you check out the Huawei website to see the full gallery. The Huawei Watch is a watch first, and a smart device second, so simply admire the beauty of it.

Can I get the Huawei Watch in Ireland?

From September 2nd the Huawei Watch is available for pre-order in the US, becoming available in Germany, France and Spain later this month. October will see customers in the UK finally able to get their hands on the device.

There has been a worrying, but not unexpected, lack of mentions about launch in Ireland. However, it’s likely that should the device only be available in the UK, you’ll be able to order using Parcel Motel.

Update 23/01/2016

The Huawei Watch is now available to buy from Amazon. You can order it to Ireland via Parcel Motel. We did this in conjunction with the free Amazon Prime trial, which saved some money and got super fast delivery for free!

Gaggle Giggle – John Lewis Dancing Ad

Uncategorised

Marty

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23rd August 2015

0

John Lewis have become synonymous with the very best TV ads, with their latest addition being no different.

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The wonderful thing about modern technology can be summed up with YouTube. When you were in primary school, you could ask “did you see that new ad on TV last night”. If your friends hadn’t seen it, then noone cared and your great conversation starter fell on its arse.

Thanks to YouTube, the quality of TV ads has gone through the roof. John Lewis, a leading UK department store, has nailed the use of TV ads on several occasions now, with their latest ad emerging a few days ago.

John Lewis: Tiny Dancer

https://youtu.be/7gqPM_GT8Qw

There is a very good chance that until a few sentences ago, you didn’t know what John Lewis did. Also likely is that you’ve heard of them and seen their ads. Their ads tend to focus on getting the brand out their while provoking a strong emotional response. According to their Head of Marketing, Margaret Burke, their latest advert is heart-warming and features an iconic song, but most importantly it reminds viewers that John Lewis Home Insurance can offer peace of mind, allowing them to enjoy family life — knowing that they have protection in place, they can simply let life happen.”

We can just really relate to the look on that brothers face of what living with a sister is like.

John Lewis: Top Ads

This leads us nicely onto a quick roundup. Here are 3 more of our favourite John Lewis ads – yup, they are that good at advertising, they get their own list. Apologies in advance for Christmas vibes in places.

Dislike button coming to Facebook

Unboxing: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

New on Netflix Ireland: Narcos

Best Irish Websites: PaperBear.ie – Popup Cards

The Company

The Website

Delivery

The Great Debate: Do people still send SMS messages?

Back in the day…

Make way for WhatsApp

Growing demand for faster data

Apple Launch Event: iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus