It’s been quite a while coming, as today marks the launch of Amazon’s dedicated website, Amazon.ie. As a result, Amazon says shoppers in Ireland now have direct access to 200 million products with fast and convenient delivery and easier returns.
I’ve just given the transition to Amazon.ie a quick test, moving my Prime membership from the UK site to the Irish site. Amazon.ie’s Prime membership costs €6.99 per month or €69.90 for the year. You save just under €14 when you pay annually. The process was clean with a 30 day free trial and my last UK Prime membership refund immediately being initiated; but it will take a few days to be paid back.
The launch also means you can now easily buy Amazon products like the Amazon Fire Stick much easier, as UK says to Ireland were previously restricted. Beyond the typical products, Amazon.ie will also soon feature an Irish brands section including Barry’s Tea, Bewley’s, and Ella & Jo.
To celebrate the launch, you’ll save €10 when you spend €50 on Amazon.ie.
Speaking about the launch, Amazon Country Manager for Ireland, Alison Dunn, said “our teams across the country are unbelievably proud and incredibly excited to launch Amazon.ie.The store brings a wide selection of great value products with fast delivery to customers in Ireland, a local Prime membership with incredible benefits and savings, and lots of opportunities for Irish businesses to reach more customers. We have been building towards this moment since the launch of our fulfilment centre in Dublin in 2022, and we can’t wait to write the next chapter of our story in Ireland”.
I envisage some headaches for Amazon customers in Ireland transitioning. While the process itself is simple, there are going to be features missing or benefits lost for Irish customers. It’ll take me a few days to find them all, so watch this space. There are also some product gains lacking that I had hoped for. For example, Anker powerbanks are still not available from the Irish distribution centre. You can buy them, but you’ll be waiting for a few days.
It’s never ideal when your phone network has an outage, but it’s even more annoying over a bank holiday weekend. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Three customers are facing over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, as customers are reporting missing credit and loss of access to calls and mobile data.
Update: Three has confirmed that service has been restored to affected customers. If you have lost credit, the network has also said that “Three can confirm that no customer will lose credit due to this issue, and we are working to ensure that any impacted customers are credited appropriately in the coming days”.
Three’s St. Patrick’s Weekend Outage
In the early hours of Sunday morning, reports began emerging that Three prepay customers noticed their prepay credit was going missing and mobile data was not working. One Redditor stated online they weren’t “due to top up for another 2 weeks and woke up with all ‘my [their] credit used up”. Another Reddit user commented, stating, “mobile data is not working at all”, while customer care confirmed voice services are also affected.
Customers also took to Three’s own forum, 3Community, to voice concerns. One customer saying they “[topped up their] number on 14th March, but today (16th March) around 1 AM, I suddenly do not have any allowance and do not have access to text, phone and internet”. In this thread and others, several other customers report the same issues.
I myself am on Three prepay and have been completely unaffected, however I have a family member who is affected, by both credit loss and loss of data services. Which points to a partial explanation of the issue.
I have one of Three’s newer plans. I top up every month and the credit on my account is immediately “taken” and put towards my plan.
My family member is on a much older plan. With these plans, when you top up your plan is activated, but you keep the credit in your balance. You can then use this credit on out of bundle calling, texting, roaming or by buying using “pay with mobile” style services.
It would appear that these older customers groups are affected while newer customers are not. Typically with technology, legacy systems are more difficult to maintain in-line with modern updates. I would imagine this is what happened here.
The timing is also aligned to a potential systems update. Another Redditor stated they “work night shifts, right around 23:50 my allowances shut off working even though I topped up only 10 days ago”. This would be a fairly typical time for a system update to start rolling out.
Three’s Response to the Outage
I’ve reached out to Three for comment and will update the article as soon as that response comes in. Three’s customer care is active over the weekend both on phones and web chat. Their web chat agents clarified that “some Three prepay customers are experiencing issues with price plans and bundles allowances”. They also confirmed that both data and voice services are also impacted leaving customers “unable to use call and data services”.
The agent added that, “Three’s technical team is working to resolve this disruption”.
18/03/2025: Updated with comment from Three on network status and credit restoration.
This is for information only. Pricing is correct as of 16 March 2025. Please see network provider websites for the latest prices, connection types, fees and detailed terms and conditions.
I’ve stood back and looked at the Irish SIM-only market over the past few years and the gloves have come off. First of all, Eir’s GOMO network really kicked things off with their Ryanair-style approach to SIM-only plans. Three’s 48 was next in line while Vodafone recently launched Clear Mobile to take the two on. So, if you’re in the market right now for a new SIM-only plan, which network should you go with? I’m going to show you the best value on the market today and a little further down the page, I’ll tell you why these SIM-only plans can probably save you money.
Calculating the value of a SIM-only plan is fairly simple. The primary thing I’m looking at is the price over 12 months. This means I can also cater for 6-month introductory offers and things like that. I’ll also include what you get for your money. This means you’ll have both the price and what you get for your money. Value is very subjective, so I think this is the fairest way to go.
The cheapest operators mentioned here all offer unlimited calls and texts within Ireland. A fair usage usually applies but it’s so generous you won’t need to worry about it.
48 – Ireland’s Cheapest SIM-only Plan with 5G
Monthly: €12.99
Activation Fee: €12.99
12-month price: €168.87
Year Two Cost: €155.88
48 is Three’s value-focused network. Originally, 48 targeted people between the age of 18 to 22, but this is just who the brand targeted. It was never a rule that was enforced. Today, 48 still targets the youth market while also being Three’s value network to take on Eir’s GOMO and Vodafone’s Clear Mobile.
48’s big plan is €12.99. The big advantage here over the likes of Virgin Media is that your plan will be €12.99 for life. While year one costs €168.87 because of the network activation fee, year two with 48 will cost €155.88. The good news being the price going up like Virgin Media’s price does.
48 now offers 5G for free to all customers on this plan. This makes them Ireland’s cheapest SIM-only plan with 5G, consistently.
On 48’s €12.99 plan, you get 200GB of data, all calls, and all texts. If roaming in the EU, you’ll have 14GB of data to use. This is taken out of your 200GB. You also get your second month free which negates the connection fee.
Another nice thing that 48 offers is a free trial of their network. You can order a free SIM online which will let you try out 1GB of data without any risk. Unique to 48 is also the ability to save, share or donate excess data that you don’t use, which means you can even donate 50c per 1GB you don’t use to charity.
48 is ahead of Clear Mobile by the skin of its teeth, with only Clear Mobile’s 5G speed throttling at 25Mbps putting it into second place.
This is for: Shoppers looking for value and Ireland’s cheapest mobile plan who know they’ll forget to shop around again. Value seekers who like to try before they buy, removing risk.
Doing things a little differently is Clear Mobile. Earlier I compared GOMO to Ryanair, but truly this title now rests with Clear Mobile. Their own website even says “cherry not included”.
Clear Mobile is a €12.99 per month plan. There’s also a €12.99 connection fee but your first month is free. That effectively gives you an annual cost of €155.88 in your first year.
One of the network’s big differences is that Clear Mobile sidesteps being unable to use the word “unlimited” by offering genuinely unlimited quantities of data download. It’s only a matter of time until they are pulled up on this because the data is limited, just not in the way the Irish market traditionally does it.
Intially, instead of giving you a data quantity cap, Clear Mobile limited your internet speed to 5Mbps. Now the network offers you both 4G and 5G access, however the max speeds on 5G is just 25Mbps. Which is enough for many, but it’s a bizzare limit.
For some multitasking users, that will simply be too slow, but don’t let it put you off completely.
Clear Mobile had toyed with different pricing based on the network you’re joining from, but right now it’s €12.99 for everyone. In terms of cost, it’s on par with 48, but those data limits do knock it down the pecking order a little.
This is for: Patient people who stream over 40 hours of HD Netflix videos per month without WiFi and know Three’s network (ie 48) doesn’t work.
Lyca Mobile – Ireland’s Cheapest SIM-Only Plan for 12 Months
Monthly: €15
Activation Fee: €0
12-month cost: €120
Year Two Cost: €240
I can’t ignore Lyca Mobile anymore when it comes to offering value in the Irish SIM-only market. Lyca Mobile now offers 5G and is technically Ireland’s cheapest mobile plan at just €10 per month. It’s a worthy opponent to 48’s offering and just misses out due to the longevity of value Lyca Mobile gives.
What I mean by that is that while 48’s €12.99 is a lifetime offer, Lyca Mobile’s €10 per month price is normally €20 per month. That 50% discount is for the first 12 months. This means in year two, your annual cost shoots up to €240 in year two.
However, at €10 per month including 5G, and unlimited everything with a sprinkling of international calls, I do have to mention it. Just remind yourself to switch in 12 months if there’s something better on the market. You also only get this €10 per month offer it you activate automatic renewal and if your payment fails, you will lose the offer.
If you’re into some tech novelty or are looking for the best SIM card to get when travelling to Ireland, Lyca Mobile also offers eSIM.
This is for: You’re looking for the outright cheapest plan right now and do some international calls. Maybe you’re running a side hustle and need a cheap “business number”.
Sky Mobile is Ireland’s newest network after launching in September 2024. The standard price for their unlimited plan is €20 per month, without offers or activation fees. They do offer a €10 plan for 10GB per month, which suits lighter users. But for comparison, I’m sticking with unlimited plans as much as possible.
This means you get your monthly usage for €20 per month or €240 per year.
Sky Mobile is a nice route to go if you would like to get a phone in a couple of months time. The network’s unique offering is a 0% APR agreement over 24 or 36 months where the phone and airtime agreement is always separate.
Monthly Price: €20 for 12 months then €25 in year two
Activation Fee: None
12-month price: €240
Year Two Cost: €300
Virgin Media’s offers make them a tricky customer. Their prices fluctuate regularly and often change after a few months of an introductory offer. They were previously the cheapest plan in Ireland. While they still are for the introductory period, they become quite expensive when that ends.
Right now, whether you are an existing Virgin Media customer or not, you can get a Virgin Media SIM-only plan for €20 per month. This includes unlimited calls, texts and data. For Virgin Media, their unlimited truly means unlimited these days too.
Virgin Media runs on the Three network and while you will only be able to get 4G it’s a fantastic offering right now. A big “but” here is coming. After 12 months, your monthly plan will increase to €25 per month. This means your first year with Virgin Media Mobile is €240 but year two is €300. So remember to shop around again in 12 months’ time.
This is for: If you’re a Virgin Media broadband or TV customer, that 12 month price is standard. If you add multiple accounts, the price drops as low as €15 per month. It’s still not best in market though.
GOMO was the network that really kicked the price war off between the three major sub-brands of Eir, Three and Vodafone. Previously, GOMO had the cheapest plan in Ireland, but they must now sit in third place. On top of the €14.99 monthly fee for your plan, there’s also a €14.99 connection fee which gets added to the first 12 months. The connection fee is a fairly annoying part of the deal. While this suggests there’s a cost associated with creating an account, the connection fee always matches the monthly fee so it really is just another way for GOMO to make some money.
GOMO does have one advantage for heavier data users versus both 48 and Clear Mobile as they offer 20GB more data per month than 48 and 4G speeds as opposed to Clear Mobile’s restricted 5Mbps.
If you’re going travelling in Europe, GOMO lets you use your full allowance of calls and texts while roaming in the EU along with 10GB of data per month. That 10GB does get taken out of your overall 120GB.
This is for: Someone who knows they need 120GB of data and or who tried 48’s free SIM and didn’t like it.
There are other networks out there. For a small country, Ireland has quite a few operators on the market. But, regardless of who you pick from the lot, you will still be connecting to either the Eir, Three or Vodafone mobile network. Below is a full comparison of Ireland’s mobile networks and the base operator you’ll be connecting with.
Provider
Monthly
Base Network
Offer
12-month cost
Data
Speed
48
€12.99
Three
No
€155.88
200GB
Up to 100Mbps
Gomo
€14.99
Eir
First month free
€194.87
120GB
Up to 100Mbps
Sky Mobile
€20
Vodafone
€20 per month for life
€240
Unlimited**
Up to 100Mbps
Clear Mobile
€12.99
Vodafone
€12.99 for life
€194.87
Unlimited
Up to 5Mbps
Lyca Mobile
€20
Three
50% off
€120
60GB
Up to 100Mbps
Virgin Mobile
€25
Three
€5 off first 12 months
€240
80GB
Up to 100Mbps
Tesco Mobile
€20
Three
Double data with Clubcard
€240
100GB
Up to 100Mbps
Comparison of Ireland’s Cheapest SIM-only Deals Right Now | *Clear Mobile price dependent on joining conditions outlined in article **Unlimited terms are TBC
Why Choose SIM-only?
There are loads of reasons why people end up buying SIM-only plans. Most of the time, it’s because you’ve been given a phone from someone else or bought an unlocked phone directly from a shop or manufacturer like Apple and just need a SIM card. You should always do the maths before you commit to a contract. Irish networks will offer you phones, sometimes without charging upfront, to get you into a 24-month contract. It’s often cheaper to buy the phone outright yourself from somewhere like Apple and grab a SIM-only connection.
We’re often asked questions about picking plans on our Twitter or other social pages. Here are some of the most asked questions we’ve come across when it comes to picking your new network.
Why would anyone pick Eir, Three or Vodafone over GOMO, 48 or Clear Mobile?
The “home networks” like Eir, Three or Vodafone might suit better if you are looking for some of the frills with a network. This might include your need for a new phone to be paid off over the duration of a contract, access to 5G mobile internet or special offer bundles like home TV and Broadband. Another example is loyalty programmes are often reserved for the main network.
Is GOMO as fast as Eir?
Technically, GOMO 4G and Eir 4G should be as fast as each other. Some things like the number of people using the network in an area might influence this. One big difference is that Eir also offers 5G, so if you have a 5G phone and are in a 5G area, you will be able to enjoy very fast mobile internet. But 4G is more than enough for most.
Is Clear Mobile as fast as Vodafone?
No. This is where Clear Mobile is very different to the other discount networks. 48 and GOMO offer 4G internet without a speed restriction. Clear Mobile does limit your speed to 5Mbps which is slower than the Vodafone network and the other discount networks. Remember though, speed always depends on where you are and 5Mbps is still fast enough to watch Netflix.
Is the 48 network as good as the Three network?
Like GOMO and Eir, there’s no real technical reason for there to be any difference between the 48 and Three network. Again, one exception is that Three does offer the option of 5G which means very fast mobile internet.
Why choose SIM-only?
If you already have a phone and just need a connection, then SIM-only offers a great bit of value. Even if you need a new phone, check out how much you would spend over 24 months getting a network contract versus buying the phone outright and getting a SIM-only deal.
What network are the discount networks based on?
48, Virgin Mobile, Lyca Mobile and Tesco Mobile all use the Three network. GOMO uses Eir while Clear Mobile runs on the Vodafone network.
What is Ireland’s cheapest SIM-only plan?
Right now, Virgin Media offers Ireland’s cheapest plan for the best value. It’s €10 per month which is €120 per year. But that’s just the first year. Remember the plan does increase to €25 per month in year two.
What are connection fees?
Connection fees are an initial charge from some networks for you to join their network. It’s usually the same fee as one month’s rental. So if your plan is €14.99 the network will likely charge you a €14.99 fee, making the total cost of joining €29.98.
Why do networks have connection fees?
These plans are really cheap in a competitive market. By adding connection fees, networks are trying to discourage you from changing networks regularly.
What about Lyca Mobile?
From time to time Lyca Mobile may actually be the cheapest network to avail of in Ireland. They also offer eSIM. They are hard to get in touch with if something goes wrong though, so we generally don’t recommend them on that basis.
DID Electrical Appliances, Lifestyle Sports (Ireland) and Rath-Wood Home & Garden, pled guilty to breaking sales pricing legislation in Dublin District Court today. Prosecutions were brought by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) against Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical, and Rath-Wood following sweeps of the companies’ websites during the 2023-2024 winter sales season, including Black Friday.
These are the first prosecutions in the country under new legislation first introduced back in 2022. The new laws means retailers can only show discounts based on the lowest price for a product in the past 30 days. All of this means it’s very likely that more retailers will be handed similar prosecutions as it’s far from just this three not following the rules.
And rightly so. CCPC Chair Brian McHugh says “misleading sale discounts harm consumers and harm competition. It is vital that traders are transparent with consumers, displaying prices clearly and accurately. Businesses must be able to compete openly and honestly, and consumers must be able to shop with confidence”.
As a result of the today’s findings, the three retailers were ordered to €1,000 to Little Flower Penny Dinners and the varying legal costs of the CCPC.
The CCPC continues to encourage customers who spot misleading sales information to report it. Complaints are a valuable source of information to the CCPC as they help identify sectors where consumers may be at risk. Both consumers and retailers themselves should notify the CCPC of fake discounts on using the reporting form on ccpc.ie, by contacting the CCPC helpline on 01 402 5555 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm) or by emailing [email protected].
Over the past year I’ve been reporting what I deemed to be, for want of a better phrase, inappropriate content in the comment sections of TikTok. From numerous reports, I could remember at most two which were acted upon. In late December, I started systematically tracking the content I reported, all of which were initially deemed by TikTok’s moderation processes to be permissible under the platform’s community guidelines.
Disclaimer: From here on in, some content you see may be offensive. There is language and terminology here which I find reprehensible, but I’m including it to show the reprehensible content passing TikTok’s moderation processes.I am not including the videos which these comments appeared in, nor am I including usernames. But all are recorded.
Racism in TikTok Comments
This is perhaps the worst of the examples I’ll present in this article. It uses a word which I literally could not bring to say out loud myself. It was said in reference to a footballer in a highlights video.
This comment stopped me in my tracks as some of the most overt racism I’ve ever seen in any comment section. It had been posted over 24-hours ago and garnered over 2,300 likes from other users on the platform – which is a problem in and of itself.
However, I refuse to believe that in this 24-hour period, no one else reported this comment. Regardless of whether they did or not, I did report it for violating TikTok’s policies against hateful or discriminatory language targeting ethnicity or race.
The result of this report was more unusual than the rest of the reports in this article. Because it disappeared. I went back to the video and the comment had vanished too, along with any trace of my report.
TikTok lost any good will with me at this stage, so I wasn’t giving the benefit of the doubt. I logged out of my account and sure enough, there it was. Hidden from me, but visible to everyone else.
TikTok Allows Misgendering in Comments
I’ve seen plenty of examples of misgendering being allowed in comment sections across TikTok. To make it worse, TikTok as a company has portrayed itself has a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community by specifically including misgendering, dead naming and more as unacceptable according to community guidelines.
These guidelines state that “Dead naming or misgendering someone by using their former name or gender rather than their chosen identity, or by promoting conversion therapy programs that attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity” and falls under “not allowed”.
Yet, I’ve seen countless examples of this going unchecked.
This specific comment appeared under a creator who identifies as she/her. Transphobic comments on TikTok often take the form of veiled hate. For example here, the commenter would likely laugh this off as a misunderstanding, but it was quite deliberate, as is often the case.
Again, this comment was reported, and that report was dismissed. I appealed the decision, which was also dismissed.
Irish Targeted in Derogatory Slur on TikTok
We have a bit of a “water off a ducks back” attitude in Ireland, but that doesn’t mean TikTok’s responsibilities don’t include derogatory slurs aimed at the Irish community.
The term “annoying mick” uses a derogatory slur targeting Irish individuals, which constitutes hate speech under TikTok’s community guidelines, as it attacks someone based on their nationality or ethnicity.
Given some of the other hate I’ve seen, I wouldn’t be overly fast to say this is the worst of what I’ve seen. However, it does point to TikTok’s weaknesses in identifying content which breaches the platform’s own community guidelines.
This was reported, dismissed and dismissed again on appeal.
Body-Shaming and More Hypocrisy from TikTok
TikTok, like most tech companies, is very good at making it look like they care and that they are doing the right thing to serve a healthy online community ethos. Unfortunately, body-shaming is another area where TikTok speaks a good game publicly, but then utterly fails to act.
In this comment, the commenter makes an extremely hurtful comment about the creator. Some might argue that it’s somewhat veiled, but that is looking from the point of view of an automated system. A human set of eyes should quickly see that this is a hurtful comment targeting someone’s physical appearance – an important point in the context of TikTok layoffs – more on that later.
This kind of language targets an individual’s appearance, which is prohibited under community guidelines, and it exactly the kind of comment that their previous “newsroom content” said the company was against.
I reported this comment, and that report was dismissed. I appealed this and that appeal was also dismissed, meaning TikTok deems this content to be acceptable.
TikTok Allows Anti-immigration Comments
Some more context is needed here. This comment appeared on a video from Dublin Airport where someone was putting a bottle into a bin. These bins are called FODs or Foreign Object Debris bins. They are used to reduce the number of bottles and rubbish that ends up on the runway.
Throughout all of these comments, I do hear you reading it saying “ah but how they said it, how would a moderator catch that”. And that’s the kind of leeway big tech companies doesn’t deserve, nor should we allow them.
The comment is undeniably a veiled reference to immigrants, equating them with “foreign object debris.” Such language could be considered discriminatory or dehumanizing, which violates TikTok’s community guidelines regarding hateful behaviour.
Two similar examples spring to mind, both involving Tiger Woods. Both Sergio Garcia and Fuzzy Zoeller made “fried chicken” remarks towards Woods. It’s generally accepted that these remarks were racist, even if the speakers later claimed they were meant as jokes or taken out of context. What mattered wasn’t just their intent, but how such comments reflected and reinforced broader prejudices.
It’s all social media platforms’ responsibility to understand various vernaculars, context and veiled-meanings to ensure comments sections are free from hate.
I can somewhat understand that an automated system might miss the nuanced hate in this comment. But TikTok always says that why we have the reporting system. This comment was both reported by myself, and when that report was dismissed, I appealed it. This too was dismissed.
Reporting Methodology
Reporting this vile content on TikTok required a few steps. Some of the steps are required by the platform, but others were needed by myself to simply keep track of reports. TikTok’s system makes it very easy to lose track of what was said and by which account.
There is a two-step reporting process. After the initial review, you can appeal any decision with some additional evidence.
This is where my AI-trained model was very useful. This model was trained using TikTok’s own Community Guidelines. All I had to do was screenshot a comment I thought was likely breaching the guidelines, and upload it to my AI-model. This model would then tell me what was breached and prepare the “extra evidence” comment to upload to TikTok’s second round review, including which guidelines were breached.
TikTok’s Reaction to My Findings
I gathered the above and sent it to TikTok in January. A few days later, I had a phone call with a TikTok spokesperson based in Ireland. After reviewing the comments I gathered, they confirmed the content breached TikTok’s Community Guidelines and should not have remained on the site. They also confirmed to me, it had been removed manually.
The spokesperson told me that TikTok was dedicated to keeping the social media platform safe, highlighting that the company had 40,000 safety professionals responsible for finding content that breaches Community Guidelines, but little was given by way of explaining how content like this was missed or deemed appropriate for the site.
Remembering this was just two months ago, it’s even more disappointing to see TikTok undermining that “commitment” to creating a safe environment.
To be clear, this is extremely disappointing, not only in light of my research, but because it’s difficult to see anyone lose their job. Having been through it twice recently myself, I feel massively for everyone impacted.
However, it’s making it clear that TikTok does not see high quality content moderation as a key requirement of running a social media platform. The company spokesperson highlighted TikTok’s automated process of finding offensive content was supported by human moderation too, but now I’m lefting wondering how much will that process be harmed by layoffs, considering it’s obviously already not fit for purpose.
The reality is that social media platforms have a responsibility to moderate content. Hate doesn’t need much oxygen, let alone the abundance of oxygen that lax content moderation approaches offer. While Twitter has completely fallen apart, Trump’s administration has led to Meta also axing many policies and fact checking processes, leading to new or renewed concerns.
TikTok is awash with content ranging from harmless and hilarious, to, as I’ve demonstrated, outright hateful. If the reports are accurate surrounding redundancies at the company being focused on content moderation teams, I’m extremely worried as to where we go from here.
Perhaps there needs to be renewed political focus on the issue, but that clearly won’t be coming from Stateside.
My advice to you is to continue to be vigilant on social media. Report what you deem offensive, and take regular breaks if you can. Resist the urge to stay in comment sections longer than you spend watching the content itself, and remember, it’s not always a person on the other end of that comment.
It Takes Two was a groundbreaking game that opened up co-up gaming to the masses – most impressively, opening it to couples, with my and my other half loving it and completing it. Now, the spiritual successor, Split Fiction, is here.
Created by the same game studio, Haze Light, Split Fiction sees you and another gamer take on the roles of two game writers – Zoe and Mio. You both get trapped in a simulation at the hands of a greedy games publication studio trying to steal writers ideas. The result, is that all of your ideas, past and present, become your reality. Because Zoe likes fantasy and Mio likes sci-fi, you’ll set off on an adventure and explore an exciting range of worlds together.
If you are familiar with It Takes Two, you’ll love the balance of puzzle solving, quick thinking and boss beating in Split Fiction. There’s still the same humour and even some Easter eggs left to the original game, despite this not being a literal sequel.
The majority of the game takes place in split screen, and is playable either on one screen locally or in co-op mode online. The best part is that you of you will be able to play it with just one purchase too.
I was initially a little apprehensive about buying Split Fiction as the game looks a lot more technical and “gamer-focused” than It Takes Two, but I can confirm that me and my other half have logged a few hours of gameplay on Split Fiction and I both the control systems are more intuitive and the gameplay even more enjoyable than It Takes Two. Split Fiction tends to let whoever is able to power on with a challenge to go ahead, reducing the amount of stalling that takes place.
Split Fiction is available today for about €50 and as the studio promised there are no in-game purchases or microtransactions – just a lot of fun, and can be played on PlayStation 5, Xbox or PC.
Watch my early takes on Split Fiction over on TikTok.
Split Fiction is here! 🎮 From the creators of It Takes Two, this co-op adventure lets you and a partner play as two game writers trapped in a mash-up of fantasy & sci-fi worlds. 🌍✨ We were worried it’d be too technical, but it’s just as intuitive & fun as It Takes Two! Best part? One purchase = two players. No microtransactions, just pure co-op chaos. 🤝🔥 Available now on PS5, Xbox & PC for around €50! Who’s playing? 👀 #SplitFiction#CoOpGaming#ItTakesTwo#couplegoals#couplegaming
Today at MWC in Barcelona, Xiaomi has unveiled the Xiaomi 15, its latest flagship smartphone, featuring a Leica-engineered camera system, a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and the Xiaomi HyperOS 2 platform. Xiaomi promises to offer high-end performance and imaging capabilities, the Xiaomi 15 combines cutting-edge hardware with AI-driven software enhancements.
The Xiaomi 15 features a 6.36-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display with a 2670 x 1200 resolution and 460 PPI pixel density. It supports a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, ensuring smooth visuals and vibrant colours. The screen brightness peaks at 3200 nits, and the TÜV Rheinland-certified display includes Low Blue Light, Flicker-Free, and Circadian Friendly (which we know I love) certifications for eye comfort.
In terms of design, the Xiaomi 15 has a high-strength aluminium frame and Xiaomi Shield Glass, offering enhanced durability. It maintains a 94% screen-to-body ratio with ultra-thin 1.38mm bezels. The phone is IP68-rated for water and dust resistance. Broadly speaking, the Xiaomi 15 will be available in Black and Green in the Irish market.
Performance and Software
Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, the Xiaomi 15 is built on a 3nm manufacturing process and features an octa-core Oryon CPU with two Prime Cores at 4.32GHz. It includes LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, with configurations of 12GB + 256GB (the only one coming to the Irish market) or 12GB + 512GB.
I’m keen to ensure this article doesn’t wander into the realms of review, but to date, the Snapdragon 8 Elite has been mightily impressive from my experience with it in the HONOR Magic 7 Pro.
The device runs on Xiaomi HyperOS 2, which introduces HyperAI, HyperCore, and HyperConnect for optimized system performance, seamless device interconnectivity, and AI-powered enhancements. Features such as AI Speech Recognition, AI Writing, and AI Image Processing are included.
Camera System
Developed in collaboration with Leica, the Xiaomi 15’s camera system consists of:
50MP Leica main camera (ƒ/1.62, Light Fusion 900 sensor, OIS, 23mm equivalent)
Additional imaging technologies include Xiaomi AISP 2.0, Master-lens system with wide and bubble bokeh effects, and fast street photography mode.
For videography, the Xiaomi 15 supports 8K recording at 24fps and 30fps, 4K Dolby Vision® recording at 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps, and 4K Log video capture. The 4-mic array and MasterCinema mode enhance audio and video recording capabilities.
Battery, Connectivity, Pricing and Availability
The 5,240mAh Xiaomi Surge Battery supports 90W wired HyperCharge and 50W wireless HyperCharge. Xiaomi claims the device offers up to 25 hours of video playback. The Xiaomi Surge P3 charging chipset improves efficiency and charging speed.
The Xiaomi 15 includes Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, and USB-C connectivity. It supports dual SIM (nano SIM + nano SIM / nano SIM + eSIM / eSIM + eSIM). The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor enhances security, offering faster and more accurate unlocking, even with wet hands.
You can read my full review of the Xiaomi 15, but for now, I’ll close out by saying the Xiaomi 15 12GB RAM with 256GB memory is available for €1,099, SIM-free from Harvey Norman Ireland and on plan from Tesco Ireland and Vodafone Ireland.
Xiaomi also launched the Xiaomi 15 Ultra; very much a photography-focused smartphone. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra will be available in Ireland in silver chrome, sporting 16GB RAM and 512GB memory. It will set you back €1,599 and is available SIM-free from Harvey Norman Ireland and on plan from Tesco Ireland.
Updated 2/3/25: Added actual colours available in Ireland for both devices.
The Department of Health and the HSE have launched the first version of the HSE Health App, a first step in Ireland’s new digital healthcare strategy. Available now for free on the App Store and Google Play, the app is designed to provide secure access to personal health information and improve how people interact with the health service.
Features and Functionality
In its initial phase, the HSE Health App offers several features, including:
A digital list of self-declared medications and records of medicines received through the Drugs Payment Scheme or Medical Card Scheme.
Storage for European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), medical card, Long-term Illness (LTI) card, Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) card, and GP Visit card.
Access to flu and COVID-19 vaccination records.
Information on HSE services such as Emergency Departments and Injury Units.
Maternity service appointment viewing for expectant mothers.
To access personal health information, users must log in with a verified MyGovID account. Without verification, the app can still be used for general health information and locating HSE services.
The launch would appear to me to be a bit of a mixed bag. I can see the usefulness and necessity of having an app like this, but I do hope the experience and features are improved. For example, I don’t have very much information in the app beyond my Covid vaccination and my European Health Insurance Card.
Yet my freshly renewed EHIC card from December last year isn’t registered in the app, with just my old card that’s expired being shown.
A Step Towards Digital Healthcare
Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, highlighted that the app is a key part of Ireland’s push towards digitised patient health records. The aim is to provide patients with easier access to their medical information while also improving the efficiency of healthcare services. Future updates will include appointment notifications and reminders to help patients manage their care.
HSE CEO Bernard Gloster stated that the app is part of a broader digital transformation initiative, leveraging technology to enhance healthcare accessibility and efficiency. Damien McCallion, HSE Chief Technology and Transformation Officer, emphasised that the app is an evolving project, with new features planned annually.
What’s Next?
The HSE is working on expanding the app’s functionality, with upcoming features including:
Public hospital appointment notifications and reminders.
Access to referrals and waiting times.
Additional self-care information and support services.
I’d love to see the ability to share information from other users so I could keep track of my Mam’s appointments. I’m sure parents would also like to track kids appointments if they have some. This will become available once the National Shared Care Record is rolled out. Then the app will enable people to choose if they want a family member, carer, or trusted person.
Accessibility has also been a focus, with consultations held with disability organisations and patient advocacy groups. The app has been tested for compatibility with assistive technologies and meets HSE and European accessibility standards. Currently, the app is available in English and Irish, but there are additional languages planned for future releases.
Eir today launched Ireland’s first Wi-Fi 7 home broadband package for €49.99 per month. It’s one of the few times I’ve seen a provider in Ireland rolling out a technology this quickly, and it demonstrates an understanding of delivering a great connected home experience from Eir. To be honest, I didn’t think Eir had this in them, and it’s really blown the cobwebs off the brand in my eyes. But this offer could be a double-edged sword.
To enjoy Wi-Fi 7, you need both a Wi-Fi 7 router or mesh system alongside a Wi-Fi 7 supported device, such as the iPhone 16 or Samsung Galaxy S25.
Once you have everything lined up, you can download or stream faster and more reliably than ever before. Given it launched in early 2024, I didn’t expect to see any Irish providers rolling it out this early. It’s genuinely refreshing to see such an innovative approach to home connectivity and Eir deserve kudos for that.
Is Wi-Fi 7 Important?
Wi-Fi 7 isn’t essential, and you can have a great wireless experience at home without it. But I was highly critical of Virgin Media’s 5Gb launch last week, because frankly I don’t think people need it. I concluded you’d be better off upgrading your Wi-Fi mesh system or running LAN cables than buying “more speeds” from your ISP for what looks likely to cost €100 per month.
I was disappointed to see Virgin Media also wasn’t upgrading their hardware because this would have been the bigger story. Instead, their 5Gb broadband will roll out over the company’s Wi-Fi 6 routers.
Eir’s launch today shows me that they’ve evolved into a company that understands the connected home, possibly more than any other ISP in Ireland. And given their stuffy history, I’m personally shocked to be writing that.
Eir’s Wi-Fi 7 Offering
For €49.99 per month, Eir is offering a Wi-Fi 7 router to customers. This is an exclusive in Ireland for any providers, but of course you could buy your own Wi-Fi 7 router if you wanted to. Beyond this, Eir is also offering early adopters an additional mesh point and a free upgrade to 5Gb broadband later this year when they launch it.
The maths here is mind-boggling. For likely half the price of Virgin Media, you’ll have both 5Gb broadband and Wi-Fi 7 across your home if you go for Eir’s €49.99 offering.
So what’s the catch?
Is Eir Broadband Worth the Risk?
Well, the catch is that many are reluctant to trust Eir. As I posted on Bluesky about the launch, I immediately had people slating Eir’s customers experience.
This is a great package. 2Gb home broadband with Wi-Fi 7 for €49.99 per month. Early adopters get mesh and free upgrade to 5Gb later this year at no extra cost. Eir has absolutely blown the cobwebs off their brand here.
The latest ComReg Consumer Care Statistics Report is a fairly damning, with over 500 customer care issues for home broadband alone between October and December 2024. This is compared to Virgin Media’s 216 reported issues.
I typically don’t have to contact my internet provider for anything, but it would appear that while Eir arguably have Ireland’s most attractive offering, it could be a poison chalice for those early adopters who’ve been tempted by the technology and value.
Is that worth the risk? Well, when Eir launched this I was tempted. I checked my Eircode and, whether fortunately or unfortunately, I couldn’t get their service at my address. But this tells me the offering is compelling and I was indeed tempted.
But those customer care statistics make for bad reading. Yet, the price of Virgin Media is getting out of hand. I honestly believe that if Eir was available at my address, I’d take a punt on it.
At the launch, Eir also announced new Android-powered Eir TV boxes for €14.99 per month.
Virgin Media’s recent announcement of 5Gb broadband was a bit of an eye-opener for me. Home broadband customers don’t need to be charged more money for more speed into the home. I get by on a 500Mb connection, so why would more people spend on 5Gb? Truth be told, if you’re going to invest in anything at home, it should be either CAT 6A LAN cables or home mesh systems to improve your Wi-Fi coverage.
There has been a lot of excitement about Wi-Fi 7 since it launched last year, but why should you care about it?
What is Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 is the latest protocol for broadcasting Wi-Fi in your home, and in launched early in 2024. Typically in Ireland, home broadband providers don’t really talk much about these things, but they really should.
The smart home of today doesn’t really need faster speeds, especially not if you already have 1Gb or 2Gb home broadband. What you need is better infrastructure, and that’s what a modem that supports Wi-Fi 7 offers you.
I didn’t expect an Irish broadband provider to cop this, but Eir did when they recently announced 2Gb broadband including Wi-Fi 7; something I absolutely didn’t expect from a brand I would consider to be usually lagging behind the cutting edge by some distance.
By signing up to that package, you not only have the promise of great speeds, but also the hardware to support faster wireless internet connection in the home with more reliability across more devices. Basically, whether it’s for work calls, downloading movies or streaming games, Wi-Fi 7 offers a faster and more stable experience. But it takes a lot to access it.
What do you need for Wi-Fi 7?
The first thing you need is a Wi-Fi 7 supported router at home. Most homes have the router supplied by their internet provider (ISP). This is what plugs into the wall and broadcasts a Wi-Fi signal through your home. If you have a white Virgin Media router, you have Wi-Fi 5 and if it’s black, it’s Wi-Fi 6. Eir, right now, is the only provider offering Wi-Fi 7 out of the box.
However, you can purchase a (rather expensive) Wi-Fi 7 mesh system and plug this into your router to get Wi-Fi 7 throughout your home. Just remember that you need to connect the mesh system to your router with the correct, CAT 6A LAN cables, to get the most speed. You’ll also be limited by the connection speed you’ve signed up for (500Mb, 1Gb, 2Gb etc).
Those are the two ways of getting a Wi-Fi 7 signal in your home. But that’s not the whole story. You also need a device that’s capable of connecting to Wi-Fi 7. In the world of phones only the latest iPhone 16 range supports Wi-Fi 7 for Apple, while it also features on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, Google Pixel 9 series, and HONOR Magic Pro 7, to name but a few examples.
But even if you’ve shelled out for a new M4 MacBook, you won’t have Wi-Fi 7. Instead, you’ll, rather oddly, be limited to Wi-Fi 6e.
My point here is that to make the most of an investment in Wi-Fi 7, you need to have a fast broadband connection in your home, a Wi-Fi 7 router or mesh and a device that supports Wi-Fi 7.
Should you focus on Wi-Fi 7?
Wi-Fi 7 is an excellent and exciting technology to support the wireless home of 2025. But getting it could be quite expensive if you are going the mesh route. Getting Eir is probably the most accessible way in Ireland to get Wi-Fi 7, but Eir’s customer care is a massive sticking point for prospective customers.
As I said when Virgin Media launched 5Gb broadband, I run my home off a 500Mb connection wired up to a Linksys Velo 6e mesh system with key devices connected via CAT 6A LAN cables. I have more than enough connectivity with all of this. If I was building a home, I’d be tempted to add Wi-Fi 7 alongside LAN cables, but it’s not a must-have.
It is, however, the first time in years I’ve given consideration to Eir now that they offer it as standard. So credit where it’s due for them opening this conversation in Ireland relatively early for a market that typically adopts very late.
