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What time is the Conor McGregor fight at?

Marty
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0
What time is the Conor McGregor fight at?

When did Marathon become Snickers and what date did the ice age end are big questions in need of answering, but for today only question that matters is “what time is the Conor McGregor fight at during UFC 196”. Considering the con2start time of this fight depends on several other fights and their outcomes it’s impossible to predict the exact time. However, there is a solution.

While we cannot tell you what time the Conor McGregor fight is at, there is an app that will do the hard work for you. Simply and efficiently titled the “McGregor Alarm”, a new app has graced the Google Play store with one practical use; waking you up in time for the fight. You won’t need to stay up with loads of coffee, or have an elaborate series of alarms around the house as this system simply goes off five minutes before the fight.

We’d love to overcomplicate this, but it’s that simple. Download the “McGregor Alarm” now for Android.

Samsung Galaxy S7 hands on review

Marty
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0
Samsung Galaxy S7 hands on review

One of the year’s key flagship handsets is here, but will it live up to the hype? We’ve gone hands on with the Samsung Galaxy S7 to see if the South Korean manufacturer has successfully re-imagined what the smartphone can do.

First impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S7

When you open a new handset these days, you to be blown away but for those of you who have had a look at the Samsung Galaxy S7, you may be a little underwhelmed. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is a gorgeous piece of engineering, but Samsung have not, ergonomically redesigned the wheel. This initial impression put me on the back-foot, afraid that it would be an entirely underwhelming flagship handset, but diving under the hood ensures that would not be the case.

Samsung Galaxy S7 design

While Samsung have no redesigned the wheel, they have seemingly perfected it. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is slightly narrower and shorter, we’re talking a hairs width here, but it’s also a tiny bit fatter, experiencing a little “weight gain” than the Galaxy S6. These bit of weight gain has led to Samsung focussing upon toning up the body work. Gorgeous chamfered edges make the handset extremely comfortable to hold. It’s nicely balanced and easy to control one handed, making these subtle changes to the bodywork surprisingly effective.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Chamfered EdgeIP68 waterproofing returns to the Samsung flagship family for the first time since the Galaxy S5. One major improvement on this front is manufacturing the waterproofing materials in the handset itself, meaning you don’t need to worry about a flap over the charger being closed in a certain way to protect the phone. This is a great move towards providing an improved customer experience.

Other than these changes, the aluminium uni-body remains and the colours the new handsets come in are likely to be appealing to most. Of course expandable memory returns through the medium of an intelligently designed SIM/Micro SD card tray. Samsung have also reduced the “camera nipple” seen in the Galaxy S6, though this could be due to the general “weight gain” experienced by the handset.

Samsung Galaxy S7 camera

CAMERASamsung would appear to be closer than ever to adding as many features to the on-board camera as can be found in a high-end DSLR. More importantly however is the sheer quality of the images the Galaxy S7 can create. The big development this year is shaving more valuable milliseconds off the focus time, ensuring you don’t miss those magic moments, and how the handset captures low-light images. Indeed, the camera excels in both these areas as well as colour vibrancy, video capture and maintaining live video streaming to YouTube.

Samsung Galaxy S7 battery

Samsung Galaxy S7 Always OnThe battery life is an extremely interesting one for us this year. Samsung have introduced an “always on” feature to allow you to see simple updates from your phone at a glance. From our time with the handset, we’ve yet to see any great power consumption with this feature, leaving the 3000 mAh handset achieving the usual day to two days depending on your usage levels.

Perhaps most impressive is the fast charge feature, which sees your phone battery shoot from 0% to 80% in thirty minutes.

Samsung Galaxy S7 features

Samsung S HealthUltimately, you want to know what sets the Galaxy S7 aside from the competitors. Gear VR is almost certainly going to be a massive feature, allowing users to enjoy fully immersive experience, from gaming to Netflix. Wireless charging remains in place, ensuring maximum convenience for users on the go.

S Health now allows users much greater insights into their health with improved accuracy and detail on several aspects, far reaching simple heart-rates.

One final feature, that isn’t new but perhaps is underestimated is Easy Mode. Should you have a loved one who may slightly less tech saavy, you can initiate easy mode which only shows basic functionality. While some may see this as a waste, in truth this is a feature which enables users to enjoy the handset.

Samsung Galaxy S7 opinion

This conclusion has become the norm. Samsung have created a gem of a handset which is undoubtedly one of the best on the market, but whether or not you should get it depends on what you have. If you are a Galaxy S6 user, there is not enough here to make this a justifiable step. However, if you are using an older handset such as the Galaxy S5, iPhone 5S or HTC One M8, you will not be disappointed by the Samsung Galaxy S7.

This handset has the potential to be the handset of the year by playing it relatively safe, re-introducing loved and lost features from years gone by and tweaking near perfection instead of complete overhauls. Don’t let an underwhelming first impression discourage you from what is a simply magnificent handset.

If you are unsure about whether billpay or prepay is the best way to go, checkout out our best deal calculator.

MWC 2016: The sexy six – best new products at MWC

Jon
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MWC 2016: The sexy six – best new products at MWC

As the dust settles on Mobile World Congress for another year, we have had some time to come to grips with the sheer enormity that is the MWC. We have scrolled, trolled and polled to come up with the sexiest 6 products that got everyone hot under the collar at this years event.

MWC 2016: LG Rolling Bot

Without a doubt LG smashed this year’s event and as a result ended up with two entries on this list, and to be honest it could have been more considering we had to leave out the LG 360 V. So let’s get the ball rolling. See what we did there?

Cuteness is obviously an important thing to consider when looking at technology. Possibly the cutest item on the list and at the conference as a whole, the Rolling Bot is equipped with an inbuilt 8MP camera, a speaker and laser which can all be controlled remotely through your homes Wi-Fi via a simple app, regardless of where in the world you may be.

So this BB-8 like product is supposedly designed to keep one’s pets company while you’re out. Perfect for the professional with a pooch or the crazy with the kitties. What’s cool about this is that you can check up on your fluffy companion through the on board camera, then can save or share any pic or video you see from the device. Let’s call a spade a spade here. Who doesn’t want to check out what your pet gets up to while you work. If pictures aren’t your thing and poor old Fido seems a bit lonely then roll the bot around the house shooting the red laser, a sure fire way to drive your pet loco.

Really want to wreck their heads, talk through the mic and your pet will hear you through the speaker. We can only imagine this as being extremely entertaining. Other non-pet related uses include remote control capability with compatible devices, and home security.

Price and availability are yet to be announced.

MWC 2016: Sony Xperia Ear

I really can’t wait to use this, I really really can’t. After all the hype that been bandied around over the last year about how we will soon be talking to our phones for the most mundane tasks, Amazon Fire, Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Google Now just to name a few.

Now Sony have upped the ante with a small ergonomic earpiece which will essentially be a personal assistant in your ear. So for example that business man who screams down the phone to some poor PA will now just be screaming at himself.

This bit of kit will connect to the internet on your phone via Bluetooth, then you place it in your ear and either use Google Now or Sony Voice; to be honest given Irish Accents Google now is probably the better option. Sony Xperia Ear will last for up to 4 hours talk time or 80 hours standby time, but it is equipped with a case which doubles as a charger given access to extended battery life.

What we like about this is that the device is built to give smartphone users back their eyes as sad as that sounds its true. The plan is to not have users constantly glued to their phones as it offers hands free navigation, reads Facebook messages SMS and WhatsApp messages. It will search the web, make phone calls for you, and it will even greet you in the morning if you so wish.

MWC 2016: Cat S60

Cat S60A phone made by Caterpillar; you know the chaps who make those yellow trucks? Turns out they make some meaty phones too, purpose built for the rough and tumble of construction work. The Cat S60 is a beast in beasts clothing. Withstanding a drop of just shy of two metres with a military grade shell and a touch-screen that will work with wet or gloved hands, it’s also massively waterproof up to 5 metres in fact (Sony eat your heart out ) and it can still take videos while submerged.

But wait that’s not all. The Cat S60 has an thermal imaging system powered by a crowd called FLIR, a world leader in the field. In order for this to work the phone sports dual rear cameras which work together to overlay the thermal and visual images for a clearer render.

You will be able to see the heat mapping live and by clicking on a particular spot you will be able to see the temperature of said area within 1 degree of accuracy up to 50 feet away. The CAT S60 lets you record images or video with all the data saved so it can be downloaded and analysed back at the office.

For the no- professionals having the access to such a heat mapping tool could be great craic, Hide and go seek and terrible Jim Carrey styled pick-up lines.

MWC 2016: LG G5

LG really put on a show this year and we really hope they decide to bring this glorious piece of kit to our shores. Not only does it look the part, it’s truly innovative and is by a county mile the biggest revolution to design we have seen from a major manufacturer in a long time. Unlike Project Ara or the Fairphone 2 these guys have brought modular to the masses. The look is sleek and simple with a nifty 5.3” screen set in a metal uni-body complete will all the essentials, volume keys, unlock nub and fingerprint reader. There is also an Always On display which is a cool new feature which will leave important info on the screen at all times , which will yes drain the battery but far less than all the times one would wake the screen fully just to check the time.

It has also got a fancy new camera, with 2 sensors on the rear, one a 16MP for big and bright and fast, producing strong images in line with their recent handsets but the second one is where things get unique. This 8MP camera has a field of view of 135 degrees. That means it’s actually wider than what we see with our own eyes and almost twice as wide as regular phone cameras. This means you can fit way more of the image in at all times, making it great for group shots or landscapes.

Did we also mention its modular?

MWC 2016: Dot Smartwatch

This may not change your life but it could change somebody’s world and that is what we like about this slick piece of kit. The Dot Smartwatch is on the surface a fairly bog standard looking smartwatch, it resembles a Fitbit or the Sony Smartband. The Dot Smartwatch features your standard function from messages to navigation to of course a watch, however this is a remarkable device in every way.

This is the world’s first Braille smartwatch, it features a series of pins that will rise and fall at customizable speeds, spelling out words in Braille. This will allow blind users so much more access to information at their fingertips as it will allow them to read eBooks without costing thousands of bucks like a standard Braille reader as this comes in at a reasonable $300 beans and pre orders start this year. It will also have a battery capacity of about 10 hours with a handy Braille-learning system.

“90 percent of blind people become blind after birth, and there’s nothing for them right now — they lose their access to information so suddenly,” Dot co-founder and CEO Eric Ju Yoon Kim stated. “Dot can be their lifeline, so they can learn Braille and access everyday information through their fingers, which is the goal of Braille literacy.”

Warm and fuzzy? Good not just me then.

MWC 2016: Samsung Galaxy S7/Galaxy S7 Edge

Not much more needs to be said than what appears to be this years leading flagship, but just in case you’re not convinced, take a look at this.

https://youtu.be/RfCubGgMkms

Why does Windows come with Solitaire?

Marty
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0
Why does Windows come with Solitaire?

Do you remember when you learned how to use a mouse in Windows for the first time? Maybe you remember that first time you learned how to drag a file, double click and right click your way to computing success? No we didn’t think you would, but believe it or not, the sneaky guys over at Microsoft were training you up on how to use computers from the first time you saw that Windows logo.

Introducing Windows to the masses

Until the launch of Windows back in the early nineties, using a computer was not user friendly. Much work was carried out in the Microsoft Disk Operating System, lovingly known as MS-DOS. This required the user to type commands into MS-DOS prompt, which would instruct the computer to load programs or browse folders. It was pretty hard to navigate unless you knew what you were doing.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

While MS-DOS was highly functional, only the skilled and experienced computer users could control it. Microsoft spotted a gap in the market, building a program to act as a medium between the user and MS-DOS; that medium is known as Windows.

Windows is a graphic user interface (GUI) which makes operating a computer much more intuitive and less intimidating to new users. When you double click an icon, such as Word, it runs a command similar to that which would have launched programs in MS-DOS; without the manual entry. While the emergence of Windows certainly heralded the beginning of a widespread increase in computer usage, there were still certain aspects which the average computer user would find difficult to comprehend.

Microsoft got some of its smartest and sneakiest to design methods of teaching users the new skills they would need to operate Windows without them even knowing they were being trained.

Minesweeper

You’ve almost certainly played this ridiculous game while wondering what is the point of it all. While it may have spawned the epic Minesweeper: The Movie trailer, the true nature of the point and click game was to introduce you to right clicking. While you would be forgiven for thinking all those right clicks to gain a mine marking flag was world saving, it wasn’t. It was instead an ingenious way for Microsoft to teach you valuable life skills.

Solitaire

Solitaire GifThere isn’t a soul alive that finds solitaire boring. For that simple reason, if you’re ever bored and have a deck of cards or a computer, you’re likely to turn to this age old game. Which is why Microsoft included it with Windows 3.0 in 1990; right?

Sorry, but Solitaire was another training trap. With the introduction of a GUI control for Windows, the Microsoft team wanted to ensure you could double click, single click and drag files or folders around by luring you into a boredom beating game that required all these skills.

Hearts

Continuing the trend of ulterior motives shaping Windows games, Hearts wasn’t simply packaged with the operating system for the sake of it. Hearts was included with Windows 3.1, the first network ready version of the system. Sure enough, hearts was included to give people a practical use for network connections.

Rewarding users with connected interactive games was a genius stroke by Microsoft to encourage adoption amongst early users. Well played Bill, well played indeed.

You can play these golden oldies online now using the following links. It’s ok, we know you’ll play Minesweeper first.

Play Minesweeper

Play Solitaire

Play Hearts

MWC 2016: Nokia – The retro revival

Jon
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MWC 2016: Nokia – The retro revival

The humble Nokia, the Chuck Norris of the mobile phone industry. Is Thor’s hammer made from a Nokia 3210? Was Hiroshima really just a 6320 falling from a second story apartment? Did Nokia create a phone battery that lasted longer than a day? Wait, that last one is actually true.

Unfortunately, just like a certain football team, Nokia have fallen from the top of their game, but like all mighty warriors, they refuse to lay down and admit defeat. At this year’s Mobile World Congress, Nokia confirmed they will be selling smartphones once again, just two years on from the somewhat ill-fated Microsoft buy out in 2014.

Pop Quiz: How old are Nokia as  a company? And for bonus points what did they make or do back then?

Back in the nineties, Nokia rose to power with iconic phones such the 3210 and 3310. Pioneering features such as Xpress-on covers, ridiculous battery lives and of course the great mobile innovation of all time; Snake. For the nostalgia alone, take a quick break and play snake on your smartphone or in your browser.

It was all rosy until 2007, when everything changed. The iPhone was launched, a momentous event in mobile history which would redefine the market for years to come and signal the end of an era for the Finnish powerhouse. After years of failing to keep the pace with the likes of Apple, Samsung and LG, in 2011 Nokia teamed up with Microsoft and ditched the Symbian OS along the way. This move failed to stop the rot and just three years later the mobile division of Nokia was purchased by Microsoft.

As a part of this deal, Nokia were not allowed to create their own phones until the second half of 2016. CEO Rajeev Suri has said at MWC 2016 that the Finnish company will indeed return, but now as we know it. While working on Nokia OZO, the company’s ultra-premium VR camera programme, Nokia will not produce handsets, opting instead to license the brand to manufacturers, with Suri stating Nokia would rather wait for the right partner instead of going with the highest bidder; note lessons learned from the Microsoft efforts.

Exactly who will step forward for a partnership is unknown, but who ever it is will likely have to sacrifice creative controls to Nokia. That might be enough to rule out the most interesting parties, but following Apple’s stumble from the top of the podium recently, could you imagine an iPhone with Nokia durability and battery. One can dream.

By the way, Nokia is 150 years old and started out in the forestry and power industries before shaping the mobile elite.

Which 2016 General Election candidates to vote for

Marty
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Which 2016 General Election candidates to vote for

While many of you have probably voted for your own preference of the 2016 General Election candidates, thousands of you who have yet to move your votes are likely moving around the country to vote. Chances are, the candidates in this constituency may not even mean much to you, leading you to vote like you have in the past or following your parents. Fortunately, there is a great tool that can ensure your vote goes towards a cause you believe in.

Smartvote.ie is a remarkably simple idea, that does all the hard work for you in terms of keeping up with the wide array of election promises that emerge during the run up to elections. Upon visiting Smartvote.ie, you enter your constituency, before beginning a ten minute journey towards a smarter vote.

In truth, it will likely take less than ten minutes, as you are simply greeted with a statement to which you choose which level of agreement or disagreement you feel.

smartvote breakdown

Smartvote.ie then compares your choices to what the 2016 General Election candidates and their parties have been saying in the run into polling. You will be given a results card showing which candidates within your selected constituency suits your beliefs best, with an option to view a breakdown to each question you answered. Do keep an eye out for the commentary here, as party stances are given where individual candidates have not provided comment on the topic.

With a few hours remaining to vote, Smartvote.ie is a great tool to ensure you get the most out of your vote. Share this with people you’ve heard say, “but sure the father votes for him”.

The problem with Tesla launching in Ireland

Marty
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The problem with Tesla launching in Ireland

It was with much fanfare and applause that Elon Musk announced news of Tesla launching in Ireland later this year.

While it’s great to see the very latest in automotive technology about to hit Irish roads, Tesla might just come up against some unique obstacles when trying to break into the Irish market.

Auto pilot on our roads simply wont work

I think we’ve all had that moment when driving on Irish roads at some stage. The point where you simply have to stop for a second, pull in and re-evaluate how necessary your journey is. Some of the roads are so bad that you may hesitate to call them roads at all. Just take this road in Cork for example…

Indeed, we did hesitate to use the word road.

Tesla Auto Pilot
Tesla Auto Pilot reacts to Irish roads

Combine this with the recent stand-out developments of Tesla cars in the form of Auto Pilot. As you’d expect, Auto Pilot allows you to sit back to a certain extent as the car drives itself. While this is great, can you imagine the on-board computer’s reaction to hitting the road above or the countless potholes to be found around the country.

While the country roads are bad, even some town and city centre streets would be a nightmare for an automated system to navigate with insane lane changes, necessary bus lane jumping and other madness that only the most skilled drivers feel comfortable negotiating in Ireland. It’ll be interesting to see how Tesla plan to get the most out of their Auto Pilot system in Ireland.

We don’t even like the immersion being left on

The fear of god was put into us in our youth. Terrorism and nuclear warheads paled in comparison to your auld lad coming in to find the immersion on. The electricity meter would be spinning faster than your head after the clip around the ear that your auld lad delivered for leaving the immersion on in the first place. With that level of fear, we are now expected to pop home from a day’s driving to plug in the car.

We can’t see that lark catching on at all, unless there is heavy investment in keeping the cost of running electric versus fossil cars way down.

Remember LPG gas? No? Exactly.

LPG Stations Ireland ESB Charge points IrelandThis isn’t the first attempt to bring in an alternate fuel source to tempt the Irish people away from their beloved fossil fuels. There was a time where all the rage was gas conversion kits for cars and running them on a very efficient gas known as LPG. The problem was that there was only a select few forecourts around the country at which you could refuel this rare gas type, despite it being massively popular on mainland Europe.

Granted, Tesla probably has a better foundation to build on. Just look at this map comparing LPG stations (left) to ESB charge points (right). Nissan’s Leaf has gone a long way to increasing electric car sales from 51 in 2013 to 222 in January of last year. This growing trend might well be enough to convince road users that, while electric cars are far from a dominant force at the moment, a bit of sex appeal that comes with the Tesla Model S.

Driving electric cars is a thankless chore

electric car clampedThe biggest obstacle that Tesla launching in Ireland will face is the hassle owning an electric car causes. Electric cars were tempting to some  early adopters due to financial benefits. However, in late 2015, ESB announced plans to hike the costs of electric car usage. In order for electric cars to continue to grow in popularity, there really must be benefits. If these start to dry up at this early stage, electric cars will be doomed to the fate of LPG fuelled cars.

The reason for this is ultimately that electric cars don’t have the range of traditional fuel source driven machines, which are looking even more cost effective considering recent price variations. Personally, there is one image (left) I caught recently near Patrick Street in Dublin that, for me, summed up electric cars in Ireland.

With Tesla launching in Ireland, what will it cost?

The ultimate crux of any car purchase, even those running traditional fuel sources, is the price. Of course, the likes of the Tesla S has an advantage in the fact it can get “a full tank” for just about €16. Unfortunately, the cost of the car itself is that of a premium sports car, approximately €70,000 up front. While there are certain kick backs, including a €5,000 grant from the government, cars with the Tesla logo will be a little too costly for just anybody to run out and grab one, no matter how cool they are.

Champions League of phones

Dean
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Champions League of phones

In the mobile phone industry, there are some manufacturers that are in a different class to the others, just like Apple, Samsung and LG. There are also some that have fallen away over the years that were once giants, such as Blackberry, Nokia. We also have the niche handsets with a small following of fans, like HTC and LG. Football teams have fans. So why don’t we try and analyse the kind people who use these phones and see what kind of football teams they would support.

Samsung: Barcelona

Barcelona SmartphoneLet’s start from the top. The top dogs. The ones that all competitors fear and are always trying to catch, whether it’s La Liga, the Copa Del Rey or the Champions League. Reaching 5 Copa Del Reys in 10 years, winning La Liga 6 times in the last 10 years and are going for their fifth Champions League in 10 years and 6th overall. Yes, Barcelona are definitely the most dominant force in Europe at the moment. So why Samsung?

Since the downfall of Nokia, Samsung and been the dominant force in the market with the most unit sales in the last 4 years globally. In the four years before, they were only second behind Nokia and the 2 years previous they were third. Keeping up? Ok, in the past ten years, Samsung have been one of the top three highest selling phone manufacturers in the world, and with the release of the Galaxy S7 coming next month, it doesn’t look like they’re going to stop any time soon.

Real Madrid: Apple

Real Madrid SmartphoneReal Madrid; always knocking on the door of Barca, and considered a threat. Winners of the Champions League the first 5 years of the competition’s existence, a record 10 times altogether and most recently in 2014,  Real Madrid have always been around and have always been one of the richest clubs out there, giving them the opportunity to buy quality players that help continue their success; see Galácticos.

Speaking of success, with roots in Steve Jobs’ garage in Cupertino, Apple were the first to develop a personal computer for the common man. For years, they developed the Mac and after eventually breaking into the mobile phone market. Now, they have become one of the most recognised and sought after brands in the world. And until recently were the most valuable company in the world. Like Real Madrid, Apple don’t look like they’re slowing down, if not building momentum. With the rumours of an iPhone 5SE coming out soon, the Apple Watch 2 and the recent release of the iPad Pro, Apple seem to have new ideas up their sleeves every year and are looking to reclaim the title of most valuable company in the world.

Spurs: LG

Spurs SmartphoneSpurs are a highly respected team and always one that the bigger clubs and are serious title contenders this year. They’re the kind of team that if you asked someone who they support and they answered ‘Spurs’, you’d probably answer ‘Really?’. 25 years have come and gone and Spurs have yet to clench a title, but they’ve always been in and around there, especially in the past 6 years where they’ve finished 4th, 5th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 5th respectively. It’s pretty clear Spurs have been improving in recent years and that’s why we think LG are suited to these supporters. They’re not fair weather supporters or glory hunters, they’re supporting the club for the club; similar to LG.

LG have never really been the top dog in the phone industry, but they’ve always been there and they’ve always been respected. However, in recent years with their LG G series, they’re looking to take over the phone industry. With the new G5 coming out with some awesome specs, Apple and Samsung will want to take a long look at this competitor because they might have some serious competition to contend with this year and the coming years after.

Arsenal: Sony

Arsenal SmartphoneArsenal are one of the most highly respected clubs in England and Europe with Arsene Wenger at the helm for the bones of 20 years now. With 3 premier league wins and 12 FA Cups, most recently in 2015 and 2014 back to back. Arsenal have yet to win the highest honour in Club Football, the Champions League. I believe the running gag is ‘now that Arsenal are out of the Champions league, they can concentrate on qualifying for it next year’. With all due respect though, I am a big Arsene Wenger fan and I do respect him and the club. Arsenal have been unlucky for a few years with runs of bad form but they have come back the past couple of years and are looking like serious contenders for the Premier League this year. This is why Sony suits Arsenal.

Back in the day of candy bar phones, the Sony Ericsson was one of Nokia’s biggest competitors, who were dominant at the time. The W200 was one of my favourite phones when I was younger, as it was my first phone to enable me to be able use my phone as a MP3 player. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the first to do this, but something about it was just fluid and easy to use. After this I bought the Sony Ericsson 910i. A nifty slide up phone with a great screen and vivid wallpapers and screen savers, for the time anyway. In recent years, other manufacturers have brushed Sony aside and have stood taller above them; but Sony have not backed off. Still a force to be reckoned with they’ve been the most successful in water-proofing their phones, they have the best cameras out there and their processors are up there with the best. With the revolutionary 4K recording in their most recent Z5, Sony, like Arsenal, want to remind their competition that they are here to stay and are becoming stronger and stronger each year.

Manchester City- HTC

Manchester City SmartphoneThis crowd are every United fans worst nightmare. They are still trying to build a fanbase after their Arab owners took over and bought some decent talent. Becoming only the fifth team to win the league in 2014, City fought from the depths of the Third division just before the turn of the Millennium, City are now one of the strongest teams in England and have been consistently fighting for the title for the last 5 years.

Since HTC released their flagship One range, people have been starting to sit up and listen because who we once thought were underdogs are now serious contenders for pretty much every title in Europe. As I said, they have a small fan base but they are growing. With a minor setback in 2015 with the M9, HTC are entering the Virtual Reality market in a big way with the HTC Vive expected to be announced in the next few weeks. Both HTC and City are looking to bounce back and find their recent form again so that they can aim to be one of the heavy-weights in Europe and rather than struggle to get out of the Champions League group stages every year. Instead they want to try and win it. They’re up there with Sony and LG, but the likes of Apple and Samsung (Barca and Real) are still looking at them as a minor threat and still feel like they can take them…. for now.

Man United: Nokia

manchester united smartphoneNo matter what club you support, you cannot deny United the title of Englands most successful club in history. With a staggering 20 leagues titles, 11 FA cups, 3 Champions Leagues and the only English club to win a treble. Manchester United a dominant force in England… right? Wrong… oh so very wrong. Following the retirement of Fergie, United’s form fell off a cliff. Barely competing for Premier League title’s never mind Europoean title’s United are struggling and are painfully watching their neighbours City take the Manchester Throne. You can see why I picked Nokia.

Between ’99 and ’07, Nokia not only had the top selling handset worldwide, they had numerous phones in the top selling phones category worldwide. In 2007, the top 7 phones sold globally were all made by Nokia! They were a dominating force between the ’90’s and early to mid ’00’s. Only to be dethroned by Apple in ’08 as top selling phone, Nokia never found their form again and were bought by Microsoft in 2014 who took over the Lumia range. Let’s hope they can find their form again and be able to compete with the dominant players out there today sometime in the future.

Leicester: OnePlus

Leicester SmartphoneWhen it comes to winning big competitions and competeting with the biggest names in the business, Leicester have always kept relatively under the radar. With a few League One and Two cups here and there and a handful of league cups, there’s nothing really special about Leicester… until now. Last season Leicester barely managed to stay in the Premier league. This year they are playing the role of convincing title challengers. Week after week they prove it, beating the likes of United, Chelsea and City, the latter being beaten in a convincing 3-0 hammering.  They were once a team no one really talked about, just there to make up the numbers.

Let’s talk about OnePlus for a minute. Founded only in 2013 and literally coming out of no where, the OnePlus series is a serious piece of tech. Starting out with the OnePlus and the very successful OnePlus2, the company have given themselves the tagline ‘Flagship Killer’. Like Leicester, they are not just here to compete, OnePlus are here to take over. And if you have a look at their devices you’ll see why. Making them only available by an online invitation only, they are establishing themselves as a very high end and premium brand and are looking to become the best in the business. With the success they’ve had in their first 2 and a half years, OnePlus are one to watch, and personally, I’m waiting on the OnePlus3 to come out before I decide on my next handset, because they are setting the bar very high.

Blackberry: Liverpool

Liverpool SmartphoneSimilar to Arsenal, Liverpool were also a dominant force in England. With the most Champions Leagues in England and the second most English Leagues, Liverpool were to be feared and avoided back in the day.  Although yet to win a Premier League, Liverpool were always threatening in other competitions. Lest we forget their historical comeback in Istanbul, but that’s all there is. Liverpool were… were… a dominant force in England and Europe and in the Premier League  they seemed to have lost their form and haven’t been competing for Champions leagues or domestic cups in recent years either. Liverpool have fallen off the horse and have yet to get back on.  They are the Blackberry of the phone industry.

Once upon a time, everyone wanted a Blackberry, they were the coolest phones around and very handy to use. And when the era of Smart phones came along, Blackberry seemed to lose it’s place in the phone industry and demand disappeared. They have tried to innovate to gain back market share but just haven’t been able to find the glory days of old. Eventually deciding to attempt a break into the Android market, Blackberry are looking to re-establish themselves as a premium and must have brand. Yet year after year they wait and see, full sure this year will be their year. Alas, Apple and Samsung continue to flourish, Sony continue to compete, and HTC are constantly reminding people they are still here and aren’t going anywhere. Blackberry and Liverpool both need to do something soon to establish themselves as heavyweights in their respective industries again or they will eventually fade away to the lower lower tiers as the likes of Leeds… or Sagem have. Remember them?

Aston Villa

Samsung Galaxy S7 specs

Marty
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0
Samsung Galaxy S7 specs

Following a snappy Unpacked event in Barcelona today, we are now wiser to the Samsung Galaxy S7 specs. Here’s the important numbers you’ll all want to know before getting a pre-order in to claim your discounted Gear VR gift.

Samsung Galaxy S7: Design

Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will sport the same size screens as its predecessor, with 5.1 inch and 5.5 inch screens respectively. The biggest design re-innovation with the twin flagships is an IP68 water resistivity rating. To translate that into English, both of these handsets can be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for thirty minutes leaving Spotify in the shower and selfies in the pool will become commonplace; which needs a good camera.

Samsung Galaxy S7: Camera

While HTC attempted this with Ultrapixels, what was a valiant effort ultimately failed. Samsung have introduced a 12MP Dual Pixel Sensor which provides crisp image captures, even in low light. Some software updates might look familiar, such as the Motion Photo feature which certainly resembles Apple’s Live Photo. Samsung pulled no punches in comparing images created by both Samsung and Apple flagships.

These are just some of the new camera features, but all these images will take up a lot of memory right?

Samsung Galaxy S7: Memory

I won’t lie, I’ve been thinking of getting the Galaxy S7, but it hinged on one spec; expandable memory. While 32GB is more than my current 16GB handset, expandable just seems like it should be standard (unless you’re using Apple). Their was a mini celebration I allowed myself as it was announced that Samsung would re-introduce expandable memory for their new twin flagships.

It’s remarkably simple business. Apple charge €100 to go up in memory capacities, but now with Samsung you can simply buy the base model and expand the memory to suit your needs, right up to 200GB. So you’ll be able to store vast quantities of images, games and videos, videos that will need a lot of battery power.

Samsung Galaxy S7: Battery

Samsung’s D.J Koh made an audacious claim during the company’s 2016 Unpacked Event. Koh claimed that you could watch an entire season of Game of Thrones on one charge of the Galaxy S7’s 3000 mAh battery or Galaxy S7 Edge’s 3600 mAh battery. We’re really not so sure if that’s with aeroplane mode enabled or something, but it’s a bold claim. Even if it’s not true, a dead battery won’t hinder you for too long as the Galaxy S7 can charge in an hour and a half while the S7 Edge will take just a further ten minutes.

We’re interested to see if the battery upgrades are effected by “Always on Display” which is a minimal screen you will always see at a quick glance of your handset. Ultimately though, how does this all rack up in terms of innovation and development.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S7 better than the Galaxy S6?

Zuckerberg Samsung VROn the outside, this years twin flagships look almost identical to Samsung’s key handsets from last year. While the horrid camera nipple has been severely reduced from the Galaxy S6, the majority of the Galaxy S7’s developments are under the hood. Water resistivity is a nice addition, especially to those of you who have been hurt by liquid ingress before. For us, the biggest development comes in the shape of a tiny micro SD card.

When you consider how much it costs to get a larger sized iPhone who still look at 16GB as entry level, the Galaxy S7 with expandable memory and a 32GB memory as standard pulls out in front. Last year’s Galaxy S6 simply didn’t have expandable memory, and Samsung have clearly been taking feedback on-board from customers.

With Mark Zuckerberg appearing and giving the Galaxy team his endorsement as the “only handset display that can handle the best level’s of VR”, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is placing a large bet on virtual reality. Normally we would say virtual reality is a gimmick, but Samsung are going all out including Gear VR with pre-orders.

While the wheel certainly hasn’t been reinvented, the Galaxy S7 is a fantastic looking upgrade for anyone who is using the likes of a Apple iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8. If you are using a Galaxy S6, I wouldn’t go mad trying to upgrade as there isn’t a massive difference, but there is enough to herald the Galaxy S7 as a cracking piece of smart kit.

Don’t forget, you can still catch up on our live coverage of the event.

Samsung Unpacked 2016 Live Blog and Live Stream

Marty
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0
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.

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