Search here...
Subscribe
Home Blog Page 30

Huawei Watch GT Runner Review: Good, But Pricey for Imperfection

Marty
-
0
Huawei Watch GT Runner Review: Good, But Pricey for Imperfection

So, you’ve decided to buy a smartwatch? You might feel somewhat tied to Apple’s ecosystem if you’re an iPhone user. After my somewhat surprising migration to Apple, I know I felt that was inevitable for me. But after years of loving Huawei wearables, I stuck with them. The latest smartwatch Huawei has sent over to test is the Huawei Watch GT Runner. I’ve been putting it through its paces.

Huawei Watch GT Runner

I had a couple of Huawei watches sent over to test in quick succession. The Watch 3 landed in and was mega premium. However, it was suffering from extremely limited availability. The Huawei Watch GT 3 landed in next. It lived up to past iterations but didn’t do much to ignite my curiosity. A great watch, but I expected that much.

The Huawei Watch GT Runner is a different story.

For everyday users, the Huawei Watch GT Runner might still be a tough sell. However, some features compare brilliantly versus Apple Watch. Even for more dedicated athletes, the Huawei Watch GT Runner offers some features that measure up versus Garmin and other high-end workout watches

Design

The Huawei Watch GT Runner feels lighter than most Huawei smartwatches I’ve tested. It’s odd given that it is about 3g heavier than the Huawei Watch GT 3, weighing in at 38.5g. Overall, it’s a fairly premium vibe you get from the watch. Huawei has forever held onto designing their smartwatches around traditional round faces. This bucks the trend from big fitness competitors Apple and Fitbit.

But for me it’s crucial.

In terms of input, beyond the touchscreen, you can also control the watch using the crown (spinning button) or the button below.

The watch itself remains light with a clever body featuring cutout sections. The lightness mission is further supported by the body being made from a polymer-fibre case.In short, that means light and strong. And that’s what this watch is all about. It’s supposed to be on your arm, unnoticeable, until you need it.

When you do need it, it’s packed full of smarts to give you your workout insights. It makes that data more readily available than ever before. I feel that the improved sensors is where the weight and price got a little inflated. So let’s look at what you get.

Fitness Tracking

I’ve mainly tested the Huawei Watch GT Runner hiking, cycling, lifting weights and even with a bit of swimming. Sorry, I’m just not into running (I understand the irony given the watch’s name).

There’s a long list of vitals that the watch can measure:

  • Heart rate
  • Sp02
  • Lactate Threshold
  • Sleep
  • Stress

Heart rate is one of the areas Huawei has invested heavily in. They’ve made a bold claim that the Huawei Watch GT Runner is able to take on chest strap monitors with 97% accuracy. This is all down to upgraded modules in the rear of the watch which keep contact with your skin to measure heart rate.

In the interest of transparency, I can only say this is what Huawei claims. I don’t have a chest strap for comparison. I can tell you that when I was hiking up a hill and felt like I could die at any moment, my watch said my heart rate was very high. To be fair, looking at me probably could have told you similar information.

Huawei also launched TruSport with this watch. This lets you measure your performance against other runners in your cohort. TruSport even gives you predicted performance insights and helps you train to the right level for your ability.

Even I, a guy not into running, think that’s pretty awesome.

But, the best part of the fitness tracking for me is a combination of the onboard GPS tracking and my realisation that the Huawei Health App is after getting very good.

Huawei Health App

One of the biggest issues through the years has been the Huawei Health app. Until now, it was just ok, missing lots of features from the competition. When heading out for a hike, I was surprised with just how much information I was getting. Next, it was how well the app was processing everything.

Huawei now even supports Strava. It’s been a long time coming and held a lot of people back from making the move towards Huawei as a genuine option for serious fitness tracking. But it’s still not perfect – more on that later.

huawei watch sunset feature

Hiking through Kerry, the watch was able to send me back the way I came if I ever got lost. I actually used the on-board compass given I’d no internet. I also appreciated the sunset feature, knowing we’d plenty of time to get back to our AirBnB. It tracked the whole hike too. My favourite thing of all was the video of the hike the app generates. It shows all your elevation changes, your pace at milestones and peak heart rate. It’s a nice clip to be able to share on your favourite social media platform. Did the workout even happen if you don’t share it?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cHnQ5BV5QQ0

Battery Life

The main highlight of Huawei watches for me is the design. Second is the battery. The two big wins for Huawei in my eyes. The battery of the Huawei Watch GT Runner is whopper. You’ll likely get the bones of two weeks from your watch if you’re a fairly casual exerciser. If you’re a bit more intense in your workouts, you can still expect a fairly impressive week-long battery.

This is all remarkable given Apple still celebrates an all-day battery life for their Watch. I honestly couldn’t imagine wearing a watch I need to charge daily.

While reviewing Huawei watches, I’ve learned that they are brilliant. But, while brilliant, there are plenty of shortcomings that many will consider deal-breakers. That’s why I recommend Huawei Watches, including the GT Runner only if you don’t want the following.

Music Support

Huawei doesn’t support the likes of Spotify. You can’t load up or sync music to your watch and head out. The on-board GPS tracking means you can get all the fitness data without your watch, but you’ll have to run in silence.

It’s a shame given the watch supports Bluetooth 5.2 connections and you can connect buds to it. Of course, if you have MP3s you can upload them to the watch. I couldn’t work out how to do it and let’s be honest; music syncing is a deal-breaker for many.

Payments

A few weeks ago I spent a €50 note that had been in my wallet for two years. Yup. Between Google Pay, Apple Pay and Fitbit Pay, through various gadget testing stints, I just never needed to open my wallet.

Huawei offers nothing in terms of payments through the watch. Just before the pandemic, I asked Huawei’s CEO if payments would be a priority, but nothing has happened since. There could be progress here in the future given Huawei has teamed up with Curve for their phones. Perhaps that could feature on their watches in the near future too. Still, it feels like a workaround and if payments are crucial, it’s another deal-breaker.

Linking to Apps

What apps you can link to and use with your Huawei Watch GT Runner is still somewhat hit and miss. If you’re on the fence, feel free to drop me a DM and I’ll see if I can link your platform of choice to the Huawei ecosystem. As I mentioned, many will welcome Strava integration, but even that’s not consistent.

I don’t use Strava much, but for this review, I wanted to test this integration. Strava doesn’t list Huawei as a supported device and I couldn’t find Strava within the Huawei Health App.

This is a common theme if third party integration is a crucial part of your workout. While the Huawei Health App is vastly improved, integration has not.

Huawei Watch GT Runner: The Verdict

The Huawei Watch GT Runner is an excellent smartwatch and a fantastic fitness tracker. At €299, it’s not a cheap purchase. The integrations also make it a risky purchase if you’re looking to use anything beyond the Huawei Health App.

If you’re not already in bed with the likes of Strava, then you’ve nothing to worry about. Just check the other missing links I’ve mentioned above. If they don’t apply to you, this is the smartwatch you’ve been looking for. As I said, I’m an iPhone user and that didn’t produce any unique snags for me.

The Huawei Watch GT Runner is available from Eir, Harvey Norman, DID and Euronics.

How to Get the TikTok Sad Face Filter

Marty
-
0
How to Get the TikTok Sad Face Filter

It can be hard to keep up with TikTok sometimes. Just last week, it was all about the Dubai Porta Potty and we’ve already moved on. Now, the big trend is the sad face filter. But while TikTok has plenty of filters to help you shoot funny videos, there’s no sad face filter. So how are so many people posting hilarious sad face filter videos on TikTok? Here’s what they’re doing and how you can do it yourself.

What is the TikTok Sad Face Filter?

This might be fairly obvious, but I’ll explain it just in case. The sad face filter trend on TikTok is all about filming someone during a fairly mundane task or moment in their day. It gets funny because of a filter that makes the person in the video look like their bawling crying, no matter how happy they are.

It’s a really funny trend. So far, the best use of the filter seems to be friends asking for something simple, like a sip of a drink. This gets really funny because they say “yes, no problem” while the filter suggests the contrary.

Why is there no TikTok Sad Face Filter?

While TikTok offers a plethora of filters and effects to make hilarious clips, this latest trend has left many confused. The reason for the confusion is that there’s no sad face filter on TikTok. A closer inspection of videos already going viral with the sad face filter give one hint as to how it works. There’s no filter tag being added by TikTok. That tells us the filter is from another platform.

Yep, it’s a Snapchat filter that’s being used. Here’s how you can grab it.

How to Get the Sad Face Filter

If you’re looking to make a sad face video for yourself, here’s how you do it. First of all, you’re going to need Snapchat. Here’s where the filter can be found. You’ll need to shoot your video here and then upload it to TikTok.

  1. Open Snapchat
  2. Tap the emoji button to the right of the camera capture button
  3. Scroll to the right until you find the “sad face filter” icon (see below)
  4. Shoot your video
  5. When finished, tap the download/save button
  6. Open TikTok
  7. Tap the Upload box to the right of the camera capture button
  8. Select your “sad face filter” video
  9. Edit as required and tap next when finished
  10. Add a caption and post your video
That’s the icon for the sad face filter

The process of creating sad face filter content and uploading to Instagram is exactly the same. Just upload to your Instagram app instead of TikTok. Simply keep an eye on your clip length when recording and you should have no hassle uploading it.

The Amber Heard Connection

There’s absolutely no official connection between the sad face filter and Amber Heard. Heard has been in the headlines recently as she’s being sued by her ex, Johnny Depp for defamation. Snapchat had to state that it was purely coincidence that the filter become available around the trial during which Heard was famously seen crying.

As trends go on TikTok, this one is fairly harmless. I love the tricking your friend element of this, so go on and give it a go.

Is The Dropout Worth Watching on Disney+?

Marty
-
0
Is The Dropout Worth Watching on Disney+?

Where do you start with the wild story behind tech startup, Theranos? After years of raising funds, the health-based startup was found to be built on layers of fraud and total lies. Fortunately, I don’t have to tell the story. The Dropout tells the story and is now streaming on Disney+.

What is The Dropout About?

The Dropout is based on an ABC podcast of the same name. It tells the true story of Elizabeth Holmes. A Stanford dropout who started a health-tech company. The company was called Theranos. The goal of the company was to make healthcare easier than ever. With just one drop of blood, a new machine, created by Theranos, could run hundreds of tests. The idea is lovely. The reality was next to impossible.

That didn’t stop Theranos from getting backed by some of the world’s richest and most powerful people. Over $600 million in funding went up in smoke when the project was exposed for being vaporware. Hundreds lost their jobs. More importantly, there were many cases of misdiagnosis amongst real-world patients.

Is The Dropout Worth Watching?

The Dropout is absolutely worth watching, particularly if you already have a Disney+ subscription. After Dopesick, this is one of the best things I’ve watched on the platform. It’s an insight into how money follows confidence above ability. How big business is often just a lot of nonsense. And how Silicon Valley is a minefield.

Not least of all, the show is worth watching for the fascinating character of Elizabeth Holmes. Amanda Seyfried nails the quirky mannerisms of Holmes and you’ll be left wanting to see interviews with her.

If you know the story, it’s worth a watch. If you don’t, then this is unmissable watching on Disney+.

The Dropout Trailer

What is the Dubai Porta Potty Trend on TikTok and Twitter?

Marty
-
0
What is the Dubai Porta Potty Trend on TikTok and Twitter?

Stop looking. I don’t mean, “stop looking and read this article”. I mean for your own good just stop looking. Every now and then, the internet just decides it’s time to gross everyone out. There are lines not to be crossed, but the Dubai Porta Potty trend decides to go there. I’m going to try to explain this without giving too much detail and save you your weekend.

What is the Dubai Porta Potty Trend?

The backstory to this trend has been far from confirmed. Apparently, there are millionaires, reportedly from Dubai, paying for influencers and models to visit them. When they do so, they defecate on their faces. Yup. They’ve been paid to come out for a fetish.

The trend seems to have started with a graphic video, shared on both TikTok and Twitter. It appears to have been removed from the former, but I can, unfortunately, confirm it remains on the latter.

The video is as horrible as you would imagine, reminiscent of the “two girls one cup” video many years ago.

Don’t do it to yourself

Why, Just Why?

It’s really important to recognise that the internet operates on one piece of logic; don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story. Who knows how much truth is behind this story. I have many doubts about the backstory. For me, the video is very real and very disgusting. All it needed was a ridiculous story to justify sharing it.

Now, the whole story is gathering momentum as #DubaiPortaPotty trends on TikTok. People are posting funny takes on the story with some creative use of peanut butter and expensive brand handbags. Even these mock videos are rough enough, so don’t go looking for the original.

You might be wondering why I’m writing about this at all. There are ways to keep an eye on what people are Googling. And this is being Google’d a lot. It’s a compelling thing to stumble upon and warrant some further investigation. I would much rather you find this article with me telling you to go “no further” than the Twitter link. So, move on. Go back about your day.

Go enjoy something much more harmless like the sad face filter trend. Good, clean fun.

Google Translate is the Best Irish to English Translation App – And More

Marty
-
0
Google Translate is the Best Irish to English Translation App – And More

It’s hard to believe what life was life before some technology became so accessible. Google Translate is one such bit of tech. My better half is German. Despite my best efforts, I’m still not great at speaking German. Many a time, Google Translate has come to the rescue. But there’s so much more to Google’s Translate app than getting your through your holidays. While you might think it’s a small user base, Google also translates Irish.

Google’s Translate App and Irish

Google translation first launched back in 2006. The Google Translate app launched a few years later in 2010. Today, the app supports 109 languages. The app can scan images and translate them in 37 languages, 32 languages in conversation mode and 27 in augmented reality mode. The cool thing for us here in Ireland is that Google Translate can also translate Irish.

Not only can it help you translate Irish to English and visa versa but it can translate Irish into over 100 languages. Yes, I can bypass English and now translate Irish straight into German. Not that that’s a good idea for me. Learning the “cúpla focail as Gaeilge” has never been so easy.

The app works in real-time so you can translate everything from road signs to menus instantly, seeing the results on your phone screen. If you’re travelling abroad, or in the west with no internet, you can also download the Irish language pack before you go. this means you can translate Irish into all those languages without an internet connection.

How Google Translate Works

Google Translate uses some really technical sounding stuff to make all of this work. It’s what Google refers to as Neural Machine Translation technology. If you’re a lucky owner of a Google Pixel 6 or Google Pixel 6 Pro, you get even more advanced translation accuracy. Today, Google believes they’ve reduced errors but up to 85%.

One area the app is lacking is audio playback. Google Translate can playback languages to you, but it cannot play Irish back. You’ll need to work out those pronunciations on your own.

Best thing to do. Give it a go. The Google Translate app is free and available to download from both iPhone’s iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

The Electric Scooter in Argos is Still Illegal: Buy With Caution

Marty
-
0
The Electric Scooter in Argos is Still Illegal: Buy With Caution

Right now, you can go to the Argos website and buy an electric scooter. You can also go to the Halfords website, buy an electric scooter and start commuting with it immediately. But, whether you buy the scooter from Argos, Halfords or another retailer in Ireland, you could be about to break the law. I’ve been following the legal status of electric scooters in Ireland for years. I used to be a daily rider of one, getting from A to B in Dublin on my trusted Xiaomi m365. But now, I cycle. The reason for that is simple. The electric scooter in Argos and the electric scooter in Halfords are both illegal to use on public roads.

What Electrics Scooters are in Argos

Argos offer quite a range of electric scooters on their website. They range from the better known Xiaomi scooters to some lesser-known and less powerful brands, such as EVO.

The Xiaomi Pro is one of the pricier electric scooters Argos carries. This particular scooter retails for €700 on the Argos website. At the time of writing, this was reduced to €595.

The flip side of the electric scooter offering in Argos is the EVO VT1. This scooter retails for just €112.50.

The gap in price is justified. More expensive scooters offer higher speeds and pneumatic tyres which massively impact the experience of riding an electric scooter.

However, it really shouldn’t matter. Because all of these scooters remain illegal to use on public roads.

The Argos Electric Scooters Are Illegal on Irish Roads

If you buy an electric scooter from Argos or Halfords and use it on a public road, you could find yourself in hot water. I was stopped myself one day, lucky to get away with a warning. Electric scooters are considered mechanically propelled vehicles in Irish law. This means they require tax and insurance while remaining impossible to tax or get insurance for. Electric scooters have landed in the most unusual place in Ireland.

For years, the public has been told it would only be a matter of time before electric scooters would be legalised. Most recently, Eamon Ryan had promised they would be legalised in December 2021. Now, the Government Minister has indicated it will likely be 2023 before they are legalised.

All logical signs point towards micromobility being badly needed in Ireland. Still, the Government has instead said it’ll be 2023 before you can legally use an electric scooter on Irish roads.

This hasn’t stopped thousands upon thousands of Irish commuters from buying an electric scooter from retailers just like Argos or Halfords. As the country continues to reopen and people flood back to offices, public transport alternatives are attractive. Top of the pile is the electric scooter. But riding one could land you with penalty points, or potentially a lost driving license.

Electric scooters are a practical way of getting around, but they remain illegal to use on public roads in Ireland. The Argos website will warn you of this fact, but there’s nothing stopping you from buying an electric scooter and commuting. Nothing except the law.

Elon Musk Buys Twitter For $44 Billion

Marty
-
0
Elon Musk Buys Twitter For $44 Billion

So, this happened.

4 Irish Brands on TikTok: Irish Brands Killing it on TikTok

Marty
-
0
4 Irish Brands on TikTok: Irish Brands Killing it on TikTok

I wrote an article a few years ago about who to follow on TikTok in Ireland. There were still nerves as to what lay ahead for the platform. But in just two years TikTok has completely taken over as the top time sink social media platform for people. It’s such a fun platform. I know because I spend a ridiculous amount of time on it. But after you follow Goosed.ie on TikTok, who else should you go check out? Here are four Irish brands that are nailing TikTok and are great craic to follow.

HUH – How’s Ur Head?

HUH is one of the first brands I followed on TikTok, let alone Irish brands. I bought from them purely because they were entertaining. Today, they dominate my TikTok For You Page (aka feed).

HUH is a real Irish business success story, even outside of TikTok. The company was founded by Mark Donnelly in his parents’ front room after moving home from the States.

The brand’s core plan is simple. Product high-quality clothing with a logo that prompts people to ask about each other’s mental health. It works too. I’ve had several chats with people when I wear my “Conas atá do ceann” jumper. You also get sweets included with your order. I’m just saying it’s the little things that matter.

Here’s Mark explaining the business himself. The account is a balance of fun, but also Mark discussing mental health and what it’s like running a business.

@huhclothing_

Reply to @wwetoamdnsn Rome wasn’t built in a day, excited to see where this brand will go ❤️🤝 #mentalhealth

♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic

Rather amazingly, while running a profitable business, Mark has also donated over €30,000 from the business’s earnings to various charities. This is what millennials running businesses looks like in 2022 and I’m here for it.

So, go on over to TikTok and join the other 33,000 people following HUH Clothing.

Richard Grogan and Associates Solicitors – That’s a Law and That’s a Fact

Showing that absolutely any niche can belong on TikTok is Solicitor Richard Grogan. I wish he was Bebo back in the day, telling me what my part-time jobs were doing wrong. Richard specialises in employment law. He posts regular TikToks explaining complex Irish laws that have a real impact on employees around the country. He does it in a way that’s easy to understand, with a trademark sign off every time of “that’s the law, and that’s a fact”.

I can guarantee you that quite a few people in Ireland have had stern conversations with their employer as a direct result of Richard’s TikTok’s.

@richardgrogansolicitors

#thatsthelawandthatsafact

♬ original sound – richardgrogansolicitors

Being honest, I could see some of the content on Richard’s TikTok account really empowering people. For example, over 70,000 people have learned that in Ireland, you cannot be fired for discussing your salary with a fellow employee. That could open up some interesting conversations with colleagues and bosses.

You can follow Richard on TikTok and learn some more about Irish employment law yourself, joining his 228,400 followers.

Final Bend – Eco-Friendly Activewear

It’s truly awesome to see brands grow from ideas in school. Final Bend is the brainchild of Emma Coffey from Cork. She had the idea for the company back in 2018 while she was in 5th year. With a massive love for athletics and hampered by injury, she founded Final Bend.

Ok, so fundamentally, Final Bend is a sportswear company. But it’s a sportswear company with an eco mission. The company aims to upgrade all materials they use to eco-friendly and is fully transparent in their product range. Extra kudos for the brand using a diverse range of models in their product imagery.

You can read more about Final Bend’s eco-mission on their site or join the 44,000 people following them on TikTok.

@finalbend

Ghost tok

♬ original sound – Lifestyle

Mr. Candy.ie – A Pretty Sweet TikTok

I’m a sucker for sweets. Such a sweet tooth I have. Mr. Candy.ie is an Irish stockist of a massive range of sweets. They specialise in hard-to-find American sweets and snacks. The Carlow-based but largely online retailer was founded back in 2020 and today has nearly 130,000 followers.

The beautiful part of this account is Larry. I might have missed it, but it’s not entirely clear if Larry is the owner of the operation, an employee or just a man hanging out in the warehouse that knows the stock really really well. A regular “bit” on the Mr. Candy TikTok is asking Larry what’s in stock. People comment asking if they stock something.

Right, I’m going to wrap this section up because I’m very close to ordering a mix bag of sweets that I shouldn’t eat.

Go tempt yourself and see what Larry has on the shelves of Mr. Candy over on TikTok.

Did we miss your favourite brand? Just on our TikTok and tell us who’s missing.

Dublin Smartphone Film Festival Hits Big Screen This Weekend

Marty
-
0
Dublin Smartphone Film Festival Hits Big Screen This Weekend

I say it every year. The Dublin Smartphone Film Festival is very close to my heart. It embodies what I love about technology. Until the dawn of the smartphone, storytelling required expensive filming equipment, but now anyone can do it. This weekend marks the fifth year of the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival and it’s the biggest yet. Here’s what you can expect, along with info on how you can attend in person, or online.

The Film Festival Screenings

The Dublin Smartphone Film Festival is Ireland’s only International Film Festival dedicated to filmmakers exclusively using mobile devices; that’s mobile phones and tablets. Right at the heart of the 2022 festival is the screening schedule. Here, the very best mobile movie makers will have their work hit the big screen. Filmmakers from 15 countries will feature at the festival. Included are feature films (which is a first for the festival) and the premiere of the exciting documentary, Are Your Eyes Nicely Open?.

dublin smartphone film festival
Image credit: Marta Sadowska

Festival Director Robert Fitzhugh says, “The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have brought about an incredible period of creativity with people forced to use the tools they have at their disposal to tell stories”.

The screenings will take place from 1 PM on April 30th, at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin City Centre and is an excellent way to spend your Saturday, whether you’re visiting Ireland or living here. You can pick up your ticket for just €6.50.

The Filmmaking Workshop

As if we couldn’t love the festival enough. Not only can you see what’s possible to shoot with a mobile, you can also learn how to do it yourself. From 10 AM on the morning of the festival, you can attend a workshop and get the tricks of the trade.

Fitzhugh says, “this is what the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival is here to do; to encourage the next generation of filmmakers to create their stories using their phones and to provide them with the widest possible platform to present these stories to a wider audience”.

Tickets for the workshop are €6.50 and are available on the IFI website.

Partnering With The Irish Film Institute

Taking to the big screen this year has been made possible by a brand new partnership. This partnership sees the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival team up with the Irish Film Institute. This partnership validates mobile movie making and is an amazing opportunity for the filmmaking community.

The festival team has worked for five years to build a community of mobile filmmakers and this is an exciting culmination of their efforts to finally bring these talented filmmakers to a wider audience.

Fitzhugh says, “This partnership with the IFI means we have an opportunity to showcase these filmmakers to a wider audience and a chance to legitimize their hard work”.

IFI’s Head of Education, Alicia McGivern outlines how the IFI is “is delighted to partner with DUBSMARTFF 2022, expanding our programme with work in a new format, and opening up our historic building as both screening venue and location to smartphone filmmakers. The collaboration gives us a chance to reach new audiences and to engage with next-generation filmmakers, inspired by the energy and creativity of the DUBSMARTFF team”.

The Online Option

Having attended the festival for the past few years, I absolutely recommend attending in person if you can. But there’s an online alternative. The Dublin Smartphone Film Festival will take place, in person, on the 30th of April 2022 at the Irish Film Institute. You can also attend online between May 1st to May 7th, with tickets available from the festival website.

Most Irish People Don’t Want Non-Taxi Uber Drivers in Ireland

Marty
-
0
Most Irish People Don’t Want Non-Taxi Uber Drivers in Ireland

Getting a taxi in Dublin is a nightmare right now. It gets worse when the sun goes down. I don’t need to hail a taxi that often, but see the struggle every weekend after 10 pm. People are stranded in the city, desperately trying to flag down taxis. There are also people stuck at the airport without hope of grabbing a cab. I thought this would open the door for Uber to launch their full private driving service, but that seems not to be the case.

51% of Irish People Don’t Want Private Uber or Lyft

Here at Goosed, we surveyed 255 people in Ireland about ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft. We asked them, “Would you use a ride-sharing service in Ireland? This is paying for a lift with a private car owner instead of a taxi driver”. 51% of respondents said no, with just 19% saying they would want Uber-style ride-sharing. The remaining 31% remain unsure about ride-sharing joining traditional taxi drivers on Irish roads.

Even more surprising are the results from Dublin City respondents. Despite the problem being concentrated in the capital, 57% of people said no to ride-sharing apps. I find these results quite fascinating given there is a real taxi problem in Dublin, if not the wider country.

The Irish Taxi Problem

I can see a busy Dublin street every Saturday night, so I can see the problem. But you just need to look at Twitter to see people are frustrated when trying to grab a taxi in Dublin.

The taxi industry faces many problems today. The average age of drivers is quite high and many drivers haven’t returned from parking their cabs up as a result of Covid-19. The situation is surely not going to be helped by inflation and wide fuel prices. There’s no real light at the end of the tunnel for getting taxis on a Saturday night.

Yet, the Irish public still rejects the idea of ride-sharing apps like Uber. Even in Dublin itself.

Is Uber in Ireland? Yes, But No.

Now, I need to clarify what’s going on with Uber in Ireland. You can download the Uber app and use it to get around Ireland. However, you can only use the Uber app in Ireland to book a regulated taxi driver. This might be confusing if you’re used to Uber-style ride-sharing. In the United States, anyone can become an Uber driver. You just have to be old enough to drive in your city, have the required driving experience, a valid license, and an eligible 4-door car.

To become an Uber driver in Ireland you must have a taxi or limo driving license. That means you have to be a registered and regulated driver.

uber not coming to ireland
Don’t expect to see Uber ride-sharing in Ireland any time soon.

Will Uber Ride-sharing Come to Ireland?

Ireland has a heavily regulated taxi industry, and that’s not a bad thing. While there are some anecdotal stories of poor customer care and “faulty” mandatory card machines, taxi drivers in Ireland are generally very good. Ride-sharing apps have met stiff resistance so far here from the taxi regulator. In 2017, Uber was told it could not operate in Ireland.

What our survey shows is that the Irish public seems happy enough for that to be the case with just 19% of people saying they’d use a ride-sharing app.

Tips for Getting a Taxi in Dublin

If you’re going out on the weekend, particularly in Dublin, here are some tricks and tips to get a taxi in the city.

  1. Prebook your taxi when possible using an app like FreeNow or Lynk.
  2. Get to know your driver. You could be repeat business for them. Get their number.
  3. If a driver drops you into the city, ask will they pick you up again.
  4. Always check your taxi on the Taxi Driver Check App, just to be safe.
1...293031...179Page 30 of 179

About Goosed

Welcome to Goosed.ie! We test the latest consumer electronics and tech from around the world to help you find gadgets that make your life just a little bit easier.

Must Read

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review: 100 Hours in Feudal Japan and Worth Every Minute

Uncategorized 0
I Know I’m Late, But I’ve Finally Finished Assassin’s...

Does FlyKitt Work? Buying to Beat Jet Lag

Gadgets 0
I'm just home from a lovely trip to China....

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Long-term Review: Can My iPhone Survive This?

Reviews 0
I didn't think my review of the Samsung Galaxy...

Subscribe

© 2024 Goosed. All Rights Reserved.