It was either an unsure and rocky decision to get here or a bit of a PR stunt, but Prime Video original, Clarkson’s Farm, is coming back for a second season!
Clarkson’s Farm Confirmed For Season Two
I’ll do a catch-up in a minute, but I’m trying to avoid those “recipe-style” articles that give you the history of a story before the real reason you’re actually here reading this! On Twitter today, Jeremy Clarkson confirmed in a video that his farming show, Clarkson’s Farm, will be returning for a second run.
Standing in front of his infamously large Lamborghini tractor, Clarkson confirms “there will be a second series of Clarkson’s Farm”. The camera then flips to “star in a reasonably priced tractor” Kaleb, who jokes the show is called “Kaleb’s Farm”. Clarkson then continues to confirm that all the help returns, with “Chip, Charlie, Lisa, Gerald and the fetus in a tractor”, referring to Kaleb.
What Is Clarkson’s Farm About?
After years of streaming TV specials which had grown quite a bit stale, Jeremy Clarkson teamed up with Amazon to create Clarkson’s Farm. I was caught totally off guard by this show and loved it. No longer is Clarkson leaning on years of tired jokes with the Top Gear team. Instead, his buffoonery is complemented by a new team of farm hands where everything feels far more natural and unscripted. The star of the show, today referred to by Clarkson as a “fetus in a tractor” is Kaleb. He runs his own contracting service and is more or less the expert of all things “hands-on” on the farm.
Give the original review a read to get a better understanding of the show. This is more about the great news that season two is coming.
Rocky Road To Season Two Of Clarkson’s Farm
Despite the success of the opening season, all signs were pointing towards no return to Clarkson’s Farm. On Twitter, Clarkson himself, in response to speculation about cameras on the farm, said “dear everyone, there has been some speculation that a second series of our farming programme has been commissioned. It hasn’t but we are hopeful”.
Dear everyone. There has been some speculation that a second series of our farming programme has been commissioned. It hasn’t but we are hopeful.
Everything seemed quite uncertain. This was a but of a shock given feedback of the opening series had been quite popular. Arguably, Clarkson’s Farm was one of the most far reaching successes of Amazon to date. I’m basing that on the fact that people were generally mentioning it in group chats and work!
When Will Clarkson’s Farm Season 2 Start Streaming?
This is still far from confirmed. It’s likely to be 2022 at the earliest. Don’t forget that in order for the series to work, you need to grow crops. They can’t be rushed. There are other things that we might see like cattle perhaps, but for now we’ll just all have to sit tight and wait for more iron-clad details to emerge.
The good news is, at least there will be a new season. It was really starting to look like Amazon was going to make a mistake here and completely miss out on renewing a great success story. But then again, maybe it was never in doubt and the truth is this was all just some great PR.
Ireland’s first electric scooter trial has kicked off in Dublin today. While the progress is welcome it’s a long way short of where we should be and at the launch, some completely oblivious comments from Minister Hildegarde Naughton just show how out of the loop the Irish government is.
Ireland’s First E-Scooter Trial
Ireland’s first e-scooter trial will take place across the five campuses of Dubin City University. The trial sees scooter service operator TIER teaming up with technology partner LUNA and the Insight research team. For the trial, TIER has made a fleet of 30 electric scooters available. The cool thing is that these scooters will be fitted with advanced computer vision technology, allowing Insight researchers to explore a rich new source of smart-city data.
In an effort to allay fears over Irish city streets becoming littered with scooters, Luna technology installed on TIER e-scooters means the scooters are capable of running pedestrian detection and lane segmentation algorithms, allowing the vehicles to understand how many people are in their path, as well as preventing vehicles from being used on footpaths.
The pilot project, which launched today and will run until early 2022, will also explore other insights, particularly around user behaviours and attitudes, which can feed into any commercial shared e-scooter schemes that may be launched in Dublin and elsewhere across Ireland in the future.
TIER’s Fred Jones says he hopes “to apply all project learnings to future TIER operations in Ireland”.
The trial has lots of positives, not least of which will be massive safety benefits and benefits for vulnerable pedestrians. But at the same time, the outright legalisation of electric scooters in Ireland is taking an inordinate amount of time. Whether it’s a shared scooter lobby delaying private ownership or a nanny state gone wild, is impossible to know but at the heart is government mismanagement.
Oblivious Government Continues To Drag Heels
At the launch, Minister Hildegarde Naughton commented on the trial but seems completely out of the loop when it comes to how incredibly long it’s taking to legalise electric scooters in Ireland.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister said, “Ireland is truly leading the way in the space of the use of e-scooters and I very much look forward to seeing this pilot get moving across DCU campuses. This is an interesting and exciting time in transport – the innovation and momentum is palpable here today. It is my job now and the job of Government to play our part and progress the necessary legislation required for the safe use of e-scooters in Ireland. I look forward to seeing this pilot progress across campus and I am particularly interested in learning of its outcomes and insights which I am certain will inform us in further progressing legislation in this space”.
I try to focus on reporting the news instead of providing opinions but I can’t resist here. Since the days of Shane Ross, the government has been an opponent, not a supporter, of electric scooters. Despite calls since 2018 for the legalisation of electric scooters, riders have been treated as criminals in Ireland.
Ireland is a complete laggard when it comes to electric scooter usage. Most major European cities have implement scooter share systems and in recent times up to 93% of first-time users, become regular users. This is because, during a pandemic, people don’t want to be crammed into buses. Scooters provide a great alternative to public transport.
Destination Court: Electric Scooters In Ireland
If you live in Dublin, you’ll see that the streets are full of electric scooter riders even though they could be stopped by Gardai at any moment. This is due to electric scooters technically being considered mechanically propelled vehicles, requiring tax, insurance and a license to operate. This is despite tax and insurance being impossible to acquire for these devices.
I’ve spoken with several riders who have been stopped by Gardai and have actually been stopped myself before I ceased using mine. Some scooters have been seized, while others have ended up in court and even risked getting penalty points, fines or losing their license. Earlier this year at Ennis District Court, Judge Sandra Murphy convicted Michal Blwlus for not having insurance when riding his e-scooter on a footpath in Ennis during the first lockdown in 2020. Sure, he shouldn’t have been on the footpath, I agree with that. But the conviction for not having insurance along with his scooter actually being destroyed is excessive but somewhat typical of these cases.
So, yes. The Irish scooter technology industry is booming, but we’re exporting the benefits. There have been far more ambitious trials in the UK, taking place in public spaces where Irish operators have been able to properly test and learn.
This trial is positive. The technology is impressive. But considering we have a Green Minister for Transport celebrating a Ryanair Boeing 737 connecting Dublin and Kerry as a win, promising electric scooters for months on end as part of the Programme for Government but offering no progress during a pandemic where they were sorely needed and now these comments from Minister Naughton, please forgive me for ranting just a little bit.
The reality is that thousands of electric scooter riders are at risk of losing their modes of transport while facing fines every day. Anyone in Government who celebrates the reality that Ireland is a complete laggard in this space doesn’t get congratulations from me.
Huawei has been heavily focusing on an array of non-cellular accessories following the whole Google-ban rigmarole. When I say non-cellular, I mean things like earphones, watches and even sunglasses. When recommending tech to people, I love getting feedback and the one range that always impresses is the Huawei audio range. Needless to say, that means I was excited to see the Freebuds 4 land in for review. Here’s how it went.
Huawei Freebuds 4: How They Sound
It’s been a year of remote working and conference calls from me. From chatting with the team to watching press events from the comfort of my own home, an important part of staying connected has been my headphones, earphones or earbuds of choice. The vast majority of calls were made using the Huawei Freebuds 3. These launched way back at IFA 2019 but they’ve aged brilliantly thanks to some great innovative features.
The result is a very high bar being set for the Huawei Freebuds 4. For me, when these landed in for review, Huawei had everything to lose in reiterating my favourite audio accessory. While this might seem an underwhelming evaluation, the most important thing for me is that sound and call quality are as good. I didn’t really expect much of an improvement given how good the Freebuds 3 were so this is a win.
Huawei Freebuds 4 in their charging case
It doesn’t matter whether you’re taking a call while walking, going for a run or having a Zoom call in your home office. I’ve swapped over to the Freebuds 4 and my call quality is as clear as ever.
Beyond calls, the buds offer great sound quality. For the little size of them, they pack serious oomph but even when ramped up, the quality doesn’t suffer. One improvement is the overall volume seems to be a bit higher. Not one to pump up when listening to Slipknot, but if you’re enjoying a podcast on a busy commute or something like that, it’s a nice additional upgrade.
Huawei Freebuds 4: How They Fit
When the Freebuds 3 launched, I was surprised to find that I really prefer the hard plastic earbud design. Sure, the plastic buds were tough to actually grab from their charging case, but in terms of fit and general comfort the buds were nice and light while also remaining securely in my ears.
The plastic design for buds was made popular by the Apple AirPods and the design influence of Apple is undeniably on show again in the Freebuds 4. But Huawei has improved upon some of the features that made the predecessor great. The actual fit of the Freebuds 4 is better than ever. Huawei has modelled thousands of human ears (it’s not as creepy as it sounds) for testing their earbud design. While the fit is nice and snug the really impressive improvement is the weight of the buds.
The Freebuds 4 weigh in at just 4g each and I’ve weighed and verified that myself. While just a shade lighter than the Freebuds 3, when you wear something so regularly in a sensitive part of your body, you really do notice the subtle design savings. In the words of Ned Flanders, “it feels like I’m wearing nothing at all”.
Freebuds 4: Other Features
We could go back and forth arguing over which features are the most important, but it’s hard to beat sound and fit as marquee features. With that said, the Freebuds 4 have plenty of other things to offer. Let’s dive in.
Battery Life
Going to kick off with a bit of a weakness here. The battery life is very much just ok. The spec sheet promises 4 hours of life but my experience has been that it comes up short. Depending on usage, you’ll get between 3 and 3.5 hours from your buds. That’s all with ANC disabled.
If you’re after pure battery life the Freebuds 4i are a great alternative with a much better battery offering. The sacrifice you make is a slight dip in sound quality.
Sure, the battery life comes up short but let’s keep that in context. I enjoy nothing more than taking my buds out at the end of a call. Not because they’re annoying, but it means the call is over! I rarely leave them in for longer than one or two hours at a time and for this reason, the Freebuds 4 have plenty of battery for me. The charging case stores about twenty hours of additional battery life and can fast charge your buds for over two hours of music playback in just fifteen minutes.
One thing to note. In Ireland, the Freebuds 4 will only be sold with a USB-C, plug-in charge case, and not the wireless charge case.
ANC: Active Noise Cancellation
I’m writing this review in Germany after taking my first flight in a long time. I’ve brought along loads of tech that’s long overdue a review, from slapping an Apple AirTag on my luggage to these earbuds. With a connecting flight, I was given ample time to test drive the Freebuds 4’s ANC.
Back to testing ANC on flights
I’m shocked at how good the ANC is on these buds. Some of my favourite noise-cancelling headphones have the benefit of combining passive noise cancelling with active noise cancelling. This means they use the design of the earcups or silicon tips to add to the suppression of noise. I found the noise cancelling to be better on the Freebuds 4 than the Freebuds Pro, which features passive noise-cancelling silicon tips. Owing to their design, the Freebuds 4 can’t rely too much on this but still excelled at the supression of jet engines during a flight.
The most surprising element was how secure the buds were in my ears as I nodded off, listening to Bo Bunham’s Inside for the millionth time.
Multi-device Connection
With working from home becoming part of daily life for me during the lockdown, listening to music on your phone and jumping to a Teams call on your tablet becomes a regular occurrence. An awesome feature of the Freebuds 4 is the ability to connect multiple devices at once. In that very scenario, while listening to music, I can answer an incoming call on Microsoft Teams, and the buds automatically flip over to where my attention is needed.
This works absolutely best if you have a full suite of Huawei tech, including your phone, laptop and tablet. Oh, and don’t forget your Huawei Watch too. This didn’t want to work on my iOS devices and works best on Huawei. It also works well on Android where you can use the Audio Connection Centre.
Huawei Freebuds 4: Price and Verdict
If you want to pick up the Huawei Freebuds 4, they’ll set you back €139 and are available from Vodafone and Harvey Norman. Let’s draw the first obvious comparison. That’s €40 cheaper than the equivalent Apple AirPods. You lose some of the ecosystem benefits, but I use my Freebuds with a full suite of Apple products and I’m happy enough.
But are they even worth that outlay? For me, yes. Earbuds started out as extremely pricey without really offering much in return. Now we have a dual win as the price becomes more reasonable and the technology you get in return is genuinely both useful and impressive. If you’re worried about forking out big money for earbuds, the one thing I can guarantee with these buds is that you won’t be disappointed, particularly if you know you like hardshell plastic earphones.
The long-awaited mid-life refresh of the Nintendo Switch is finally here and it’s… disappointing, but also kind of great? This isn’t the Switch Pro we were all expecting but it does come with several quality-of-life updates that are most welcome. It’s long been rumoured that Nintendo was cooking up something new for the Switch line of consoles and we all assumed that that meant a more powerful model was on its way. Sadly, the console we got is not more powerful than its predecessors, which will put many off straight away. We, however, are here to tell you exactly what it does have and why, if you’re new to the Switch party, this might be the perfect console for you.
Not Exactly Money for Old Rope
Mid-life refreshes of consoles are certainly nothing new. The PS4 got its own Pro model and the Xbox One had the Xbox One X, each about halfway through their lifespans. Each new console offered a more refined “premium” gaming experience for its userbase. Higher framerates, sharper images, higher resolutions, you name it. In a word these consoles offered power. Even Nintendo isn’t a stranger to this practice. Their updates however are a little, well, more involved. The New 3DS (possibly some of the worst branding I’ve ever seen) offered a more powerful base console which was great. It also had bigger screens and chunkier buttons. However, it also included a pressure-sensitive mini analogue stick and an extra pair of shoulder buttons in addition to all the normal buttons and controls. This, naturally, led to some games being designed with these new controls in mind, effectively making these games exclusive to this console, which was designed to be a slight update of their existing one. This meant that there were swathes of players who already owned a 3DS who couldn’t play these games without also buying a brand-new console. Not great on their part. Thankfully, nothing like that is happening here. For all intents and purposes, this is just a normal Switch. It’s just a normal Switch.
Nintendo’s console updates can sometimes strongarm players into splashing the cash
The Internet Rumour Mill
It came to light a few months ago that Nintendo was buying a series of new 7-inch OLED screens from Samsung, presumably for use in a new console of some kind. This was our first whiff of what was to come. The new Switch OLED, as the name suggests, now has an OLED display on its main body with a smaller bezel around the edge, keeping exactly the same form factor as its predecessor. This means that the screen is bigger (a whopping 0.8 inches I bigger) brighter and offers more vibrant colours than either the base Switch or the Switch Light. While the screen will definitely look better, you won’t actually get any more detail than the current 720p offering but I can live with that!
What’s the craic with the new features?
Have a look for yourself at what the new console offers
The new model also sports a full-size kickstand on the back similar to Microsoft’s Surface tablets have. This new stand is also fully adjustable so you can angle the console however you like in order to make the most of the fancy new screen. This is a significant upgrade from the current solution which is a strip about two inches long that is as liable to break off (admittedly, by design) as it is to actually support your console. A welcome addition if I ever saw one.
There’s also an ethernet port in the new dock now. With the stratospheric jump in popularity that online gaming has seen in the last 18 months that’s no surprise. The great news here is that the dock will be available separately from the console for any of us who just want to upgrade one part of the experience without shelling out for the whole shebang!
And that’s your lot really. There’s a new colour scheme for the dock and joycons I guess? And the speakers have been updated a little to give better audio performance. That’s really it, though. There’s no updated chipset, no boost in power provided by the new dock. There’s isn’t even Bluetooth audio (though there are rumours that that may be added via software update). If you’re coming here looking for an all-singing, all-dancing gaming machine to replace your current one this probably isn’t the stop for you to get off at. Those of us who want to play Breath of the Wild in 4K will almost certainly have to wait another few years for the Switch’s successor to hit the streets. So why update the Switch now? Who is this for?
The Best Place to Start
Well, to be honest, for anyone who hasn’t bought a Switch or is looking to upgrade from the Light to the real deal, this is the only model worth looking at. Seriously, for an extra €50 you get a much better screen, a better stand and an ethernet port on your Dock. The dock alone will sell for more than that. I couldn’t justify myself or recommend that someone else buys this when they already have an original Switch, but if you want to dip your toe I’d say go straight to the top of the lie model. As mentioned before the new dock will be available to anyone who wants one too. This is going to be great for those of us who want to play online or even get faster download speeds but aren’t in the market for a second Switch. Then you get to have two docks! Your Switch just became even more of a “game anywhere any time” machine!
While this may not be the Switch Pro we all expected or wanted, it certainly isn’t without its merits. While we current residents of the Switch ecosystem have little to no reason to upgrade, I would wholeheartedly recommend first-timers buy this one over the original or even the Light. The new vibrant screen is sure to make all your games look as good as possible in handheld and the new neon white colour is a nice futuristic touch. Time to begin waiting for the Switch 2 I suppose.
Codemasters have been churning out great Formula One games for years now. The biggest endorsement of their work game late last year when the studio was acquired by EA Sports. Yes, the gaming giant behind the FIFA franchise wanted to get their hands on some motorsports games, specifically F1. F1 2021 is EA Sports’ first F1 game since 2003, but how does it fare?
The Highlights Of F1 2021
F1 2021 is difficult to review. I’m a massive F1 fan so I’m probably somewhat biased already. I’ve been playing F1 games from the dawn of time, but still, being totally honest, F1 2021 has made some big strides. Graphically the game is beautiful. Some of the cutscenes are just wildly realistic and they may as well be real-life actors.
The mechanics of the game is a technical wonder. And how you interact with the game based on your knowledge or experience is so customisable that F1 2021 is the Formula One game with something for everyone. And that’s what we need right now given the sport has seen an influx of very welcome fans, with Drive to Survive being a massive catalyst on that front.
As with many of these perrenial updated games, F1 2021 is more about the sum of all parts than any massive or major overhauls. The biggest improvement of all, in my eyes, is load times. Now, this might be reserved for PS5 gamers, but I’ve had a few moments where I sit back on the couch to check Twitter during a load only to realise the game was ready to rock in a matter of seconds. A welcome upgrade from last year’s game.
So if it is more about the sum of all parts instead of the big changes, what is new?
New Game Mode: Braking Point
While I said it’s the little things that matter, Braking point is actually a massive addition. If you’re in the cross-section of motorsport and field sport gaming fans, you’ll recognise that Braking Point is an exciting addition that comes directly from EA Sports. This is modelled on FIFA’s “The Journey” where you live the life of a young footballer. In “Braking Point”, you are a rookie F1 driver by the name of Aiden Jackson, racing for a junior team. In this game mode, the story is the most important feature but it’s a really nice introduction for the less experienced F1 fans out there.
F1® 2021_20210705190521
You’re up against both your veteran teammate and fellow rookie rival driving for another team as you race bits and pieces of gameplay in between cut screens and storyline progression. At times the experience leans too far towards story. For example, I won one race but because that kind of went against the rookie storyline, not much of a big deal was made about it.
You drive partial races at the start, intertwined with cutscenes and simply incredible graphics. The cutscenes may as well be real-life actors.
After this, I thought it would be a good idea to ramp up the difficulty. You can choose from three and as I was racing on the medium, I cranked it up to hardest where it became almost impossible to progress. Sitting in a Williams car, I’d been told to get onto the podium to progress the story.
F1® 2021_20210705192601
So, while immensely entertaining and a fantastic when to learn the controls, Braking Point does feel like it has been scripted by someone who has just a fleeting knowledge of F1. To be honest, it doesn’t detract from the experience too much and if you’re a new age “Drive to Survive” generation of F1 fans, it’ll make little difference.
My Team Returns
Once I completed Braking Point, I moved onto My Team. Unlike Braking Point, My Team is a returning feature from F1 2020. Here, you start out with the bare bones of a Formula One team. Your job is to drive and manage the team, taking points and money for glory and development.
My best effort to recreate Jordan F1
I’ve not gotten as deep into this just yet, but having built my Jordan F1 team and plagarising as much of the Irish F1 team as I could, I’ve been enjoying this mode. Like Braking Point, the real fun comes from when you find your sweet spot in the difficulity settings. This is all about finding a balance between the racing assists, like braking and steering while also tweaking the AI you’re up against to be beatable but only when you’re hitting the apex, getting your braking and acceleration points just right.
Time Trial
One element of the F1 games that I personally really enjoy is Time Trial mode. In the build up to race weekend, I’ll fire up the game and do 20 odd laps of the track F1 is visiting that week. I just find it interesting to get a better feel for the track but also to pit my own ability against other online gamers.
A Departure From Reality
The pandemic has made developing the F1 franchise’s official game a living nightmare for Codemasters. Last year, there were constantly last minute decisions as races were cancelled, while Mercedes’ fantastic gesture of changing to an all-black livery caused further game headaches.
F1 2021 offers a 2021 Championship mode, where you can play alongside the season as it happens. The problem is that it’s already completely different looking to the real schedule.
F1® 2021_20210712161420
Austria appears just once. There’s no Portuguese or Italian Romagne Gran Prix. Perhaps the most unfortunate ommission, while also being the most understandable is Sprint Qualifying. This is a new qualification format being trialled this weekend in Silverstone. It might never seen light of day again, so the developers can be forgiven. Indeed, they can be forgiven for everything given the circumstances they’re releasing this game in.
Early Verdict
Just like you don’t pick your race winner during Free Practice 1 on a Friday, it’s tough to give F1 2021 a full review this early. The game takes some time to get through for a start. I’ve finished Braking Point and found it entertaining if not a little cheesy and wildly unrealistic in parts. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, online is a massive part of the fun with these games. While I didn’t enjoy F1 2020 all that much online on Xbox, the experience on PS5 was totally different so I’ll update this review once the servers get populated.
But, with the game launching on July 16th, and if you need a quick opinion now, here it is. This is a worthy entry to mark Codemasters and EA Sports teaming up for the first time. Sure, some elements have hardly been reinvented from F1 2020 and the ongoing pandemic means not everything aligns perfectly. But the load times alone is enough to get excited about. On top of that, it’s nice to have the updated teams. Sure enough, if you’ve played F1 2020 to death, the upgrade might not be overwhelming but it’s an upgrade nonetheless.
F1 2021 is fun.
Like the FIFA series, it’s difficult to resist the perennial upgrade and now, with Braking Point and hopefully further online developments, you’ll be getting your money’s worth.
It’s been a while since I’ve driven to work. Still, I’ve heard the traffic reports countless times, all ended with the sign-off line “AA Roadwatch”. The AA, which gathers its name from a former connection to the British Automobile Association, started to broadcast traffic reports across the airwaves 32 years ago. That’s nearly as long as I’ve been on the planet! Owing to a raft of technology now sitting in the hands of the public, the AA is ceasing their radio reports. But what are the alternatives to AA’s traffic reports?
Google Maps
When I first heard the AA was ceasing their reports, my first thought was “what will we do now” followed really quickly by, “oh yeah, Google”.
Despite my recent flip over to loving my iPhone 12, I’m still a massive fan of Google Maps. It’s easily the best mapping system for planning a journey and getting from A to B the fastest. When setting off on a road trip, I shovel my trust into Google Maps. I let the app completely determind the best way to travel.
The reason behind that is simple. Google uses unimaginable amounts of anonymised user data to tell how busy routes are. When you’re in the Maps app, the big red lines are places to avoid. If you’ve used the app’s route planner, you don’t even have to worry about that because Google has already factored that crash on the M50 into your route and sent you the faster way. The bad news is that the M50 might still be the fastest route and there’s a lot of sitting in traffic in your future.
Google Maps will show you the fastest routes, turn by turn navigation and even lane assist where needed along with toll information and live traffic updates on routes.
I spent a few minutes thinking about the fact the AA has had such a massive reduction in the public depending on them because of technology like Google Maps. We’ve transitioned from waiting for the information on the hour, to having tailored information to our peronal needs on-demand. And Google does that fantastically well.
Take this example. You’re going to a hurling match in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork. You need to be there for 3PM and are travelling from Dublin. You can pop the stadium into Google Maps, setup a navigation and even tell the app what time you want to arrive at. Google Maps will then tell you the time you need to leave by to arrive on time and even send you a reminder when it’s time to get going. When you’re nearly there, Maps can help you find parking too. It’s brilliant really and all based on your very specific needs.
Waze
Beyond Google Maps, there are plenty of other map platforms, including Apple Maps. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure why people would use anything but Google’s app for pure efficient route planning. But Waze is another app that offers something slightly different. Like Google Maps, Waze will let you plan and organise everything about your trip, including being able to set an “arrive by” time.
The big difference with Waze is that the app crowd sources information. For a long time, that was just ok in Ireland. Not many people got on board and the app was much more useful in countries with larger populations, namely the US. But today, there are loads more people here using the app.
A Waze app user in Ireland reporting a car stopped on the N7
In this example, someone driving along the N7 has spotted a car pulled in on the hard shoulder. This means that other Waze users will receive a notification when they’re approaching the obstruction.
The drawback is that you are depending on other users to have spotted something and that they have taken the steps to report it. Once there’s enough people using Waze is really is a fantastic app, keeping you posted on everything from speed vans to traffic incidents and even petrol prices.
There are some nice additional features within Waze that make it a lovely travel companion. You can connect your favorite music app and even use voice controls so you can keep your eyes on the road.
Once you start to use apps like Google Maps and Waze, you can see why the AA has decided to step away from traffic reports. We now have user-friendly access to tailored and, perhaps even more importantly, live route planning.
When I say I’ve never clicked on a video as quickly in my life. Succession is one of those shows. You know? You’ve seen chatter online about the first season, but didn’t pay it much heed. About halfway through season two, you happen to start watching it. Then you nervously watch episodes being released as you work your way through. Eventually, you arrive at the end of season two and there are months left to wait for season three. In this case, it’s literally been bloody years.
The wait is over.
Succession Season 3 Release Date
Yes indeedy. Succession, an HBO Original Series is coming and we’ve officially been treated to a teaser. The series, loosely based on the media empire of the Murdoch family, picks up where season two finished way back in October 2019. While it’s great to have a teaser, rather painfully we don’t have a date yet. The show is still in production and with the pandemic still being fairly rampant, despite what some would have you believe, there are precautions and delays aplenty.
For now, you’ll just have to sit back and drink in the teaser which you can find atop this very page.
One good thing is that at the end of the trailer, we at least get confirmation that it’s coming “this fall”, so expect to get episode in 2021.
Where Can You Watch Succession?
If you’re in the lucky batch of people who’ve yet to watch Succession, you might need to get a little creative. Unless you’re a Sky customer. Sky and HBO have a budding relationship and that means you can watch it all on Sky Boxsets.
Will HBO Release All Succession Episodes Together?
I’m afraid not. They drip feed us. Most subscription services will do this with their biggest series to ensure they get you subscribed for a few months. Don’t forget, you can’t get HBO in Ireland, at least not without a VPN. So you’re at Sky’s mercy.
The ever expanding world of audio accessories isn’t just for music lovers. Gamers are arguably just as picky about their headsets, but they’re just looking for different specs. If you’re a streamer, you also have to keep one eye on looks of course. Turtle Beach is a market-leader when it comes to gaming headsets and their new Stealth 600 Gen 2 is attemping to corner “perfect all-rounder” market. Let’s see how they fare.
Sound
I had been in the market for a gaming headset since nabbing myself a PlayStation 5. The draw of 3D Audio promised by Sony’s own official Pulse Headset opened the door. Naturally, Sony’s own headset is going to work really well if you’re after an awesome 3D Audio experience. But I wasn’t expecting Turtle Beach to be able to compete, but compete they do.
The Stealth 600 Gen 2 headset taps into Sony’s 3D Audio tech, delivering an expansive soundstage. While the natural noise cancellation leaves a bit to be desired, this headset makes up for it with power. Turtle Beach also has a trick up its sleeve in the shape of Superhuman Hearing. This is the gaming equivalent of being able to hear a pin drop, pulling in incredible an virtual soundstage allowing you to pinpoint the enemy’s location.
I did find that from time to time, particularly if the game and my surroundings were in complete silence, I may hear a slight hiss through the headphones. But it’s a minor concern to flag given than any other surrounding or in-game noise was drowing that out.
…and the mic?
It’s not all about hearing when it comes to gaming either. The mic is also critical and this mic is crystal clear. Personally, I also really like the fact the mic is muted or unmuted by folding the boom away neatly into the headset.
Design
This headset focuses on the most important design features to ensure you’re comfortable during a marathon gaming session. They weigh in at just 290 grams making it very easy to forget you’re even wearing them. The light material around the earcups means air can circulate around your ears. Trust me, this is welcome.
The Stealth 600 Gen 2 isn’t the most flexible gaming headset on the market, but this isn’t so much a sacrifice as it is ensuring a secure fit. The combination of breathable material, a faux-leather cushion on the headband, and an overall snug fit make these the most comfortable gaming headset I’ve ever tested. You can adjust the headband too with a satisfying click. There’s even a numbered track so if there’s more than just you using these, you can all remember your preferred setting.
How Durable Is The Turtle Beach Stealth 600?
One drawback of the Stealth 600 Gen 2 is one which features across most gaming headsets. They feel considerably cheaper than they are. It’s a total plastic fest. If you have a tendency to rage-quit and fling your headset across the room, I’m not convinced these will survive much.When you tap the plastic you can hear it and it’s
loud. Along with the breathable materials on the ear cups, you do lose some natural material noise cancellation, but the headset makes up for that when it comes to pure volume and general sound quality. Finally, if I had to be really picky, I’d also say there’s a lot of knobs and buttons on the left headphone. If you need to change something in the heat of battle, it’s almost certainly going to annoy you at some stage.
A Great Working From Home Headset
One final note on design. This headset is glasses-friendly which immediately shouts “working from home” headset to me. Being glasses friendly isn’t a gimmick either, it makes a real difference you have a headset and glasses combined for any extended period of time. If you’re in the market for a new headset for Zoom or Teams calls and you’re a gamer, look no further.
Connectivity And Battery
One big plus for the Stealth 600 Gen 2 is the fact they are completely wireless. If that game of FIFA just got “standing up” levels of intense, you don’t have to worry about tripping over a cable. It’s important you take note that these aren’t your regular connect through Bluetooth headphones either. In the box, you’ll find a dongle that you plug into your PC or console. Sidenote: Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 comes in two different models depending on what you plan to game on.
The connection running through a dongle is a bit of a double edged sword. It really simplifies the connection process and during my testing I didn’t one experience any drops in audio. I did feel that the connection could start up faster and, when looking to game without the headset, if the dongle was plugged in the TV would appear muted because the default output remained the dongle. These are all really small problems, the latter being fixed with a quick switch in the menus in a matter of seconds.
I’m guessing that another benefit of the dongle is the incredible battery life that the Stealth 600 Gen 2 headset churns out. Turtle Beach advertise a 15-hour run time. I didn’t track it, but I’m almost certain I’ve gone over that and don’t recall charging the headset at all. I could be right or wrong, but the important take away there is that you won’t be plugging these in every two minutes to get some juice back into them.
Verdict: Is The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Worth It?
If you’re in the market for a typical pair of headphones, you should expect €100 to buy you a more premium feel than what the Stealth 600 Gen 2 has to offer. But these are not typical headphones for everyday use. These are a gaming headset, designed for marathon sessions.
You can see Turtle Beach has nailed designing a gaming headset for gamers. For every job, there’s a right tool and these are the perfect audio tool for gamers. The one additional callout, as I’ve already mentioned, is that these would be a nice option for working from home too. If either of those sound like you, here’s your new headset.
My first ever smartphone was a Samsung Galaxy Europa i5500. From there, I graduated to the iPhone 3GS before the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. I had a brief stint with an iPhone 5c as a work phone but other than that, my daily rider has been Android. I’ve been massively critical of iPhone for years. Their underwhelming launches are repackaged features from five-year-old Android phones. So when I got my hands on the iPhone 12, I expected to be testing it for a few weeks before returning to my Google Pixel 5. It’s been a few months and I’m still using the iPhone. Here’s why.
iPhone 12 Design
The iPhone 12 is a very neat and tidy phone.
Display
I might be alone or perhaps in the minority here, but during lockdown I’ve seen myself gravitate towards smaller smartphone screens. This had become clear by the October of last year when I was loving my pure Android Pixel 5 experience. This meant I was already kind of conditioned for the smaller screen of the iPhone 12 which measures in at 6.1-inches, actually a shade bigger than the Pixel. Apple’s Super Retina display is nice and crisp, clear in dark settings but also in direct light, which we’ve had a surprising amount of this summer.
Apple has accepted that they’re not going to hide bezels on the iPhone 12
No Fingerprint Sensor
Apple doesn’t try to engineer slim bezels. Instead, they seem to embrace a black bar around the screen that leads your eye to the notch in the forehead. As is so often the case, the notch ends up being totally unnoticeable despite being somewhat sizeable.
One of the benefits of that large notch is the sensors required to power Apple’s FaceID unlocking. I’ve been impressed by FaceID and, more importantly, how it integrates seamlessly with so many apps including my banking apps and password manager. I totally get why Apple has gone “all in” with FaceID. It’s because it’s such a great way to unlock your phone. Unless you’re unlucky enough to find yourself in a pandemic where everyone needs to wear a mask.
Oh.
Yes. Apple went all-in on FaceID right around the same time that we all had to start covering our faces. This now means that every time you want to use Apple Pay in a shop or something similar, you have to type in your pin. A mild convenience but still a by-product of Apple’s obsession with what perfect design looks like, despite tech not always being in the perfect situation. Just look at Apple’s Magic Mouse that can’t be used while charging because Apple only wants you to use it wirelessly.
You can unlock your phone while wearing a mask if you have an Apple Watch but this won’t work for other wearables like Fitbit Sense etc. One thing I’ve not mentioned is a fingerprint sensor and that’s because Apple just doesn’t use them anymore. Unless you’re in the market for an iPhone SE.
Build
More broadly, I have to say the build quality of the iPhone 12 has really surprised me. What I mean by that, more specifically, is that I’ve dropped my naked iPhone a few times and it survived. My past experience and the experiences I’ve often heard from friends are to the contrary. But today, iPhone seems to be a little bit more robust. I still recommend a case to protect your phone and to reduce all the mucky fingerprints on the glass back. Quick note on this bit.
The iPhone 12 is a dust and fingerprint magnet. Buy a case.
Best Case For iPhone 12
I bought myself the Pink Citrus iPhone 12 case direct from Apple. It’s a perfect fit and offers a nice gap between your screen and the ground in the event of a slip. If you have MagSafe accessories they are all fully compatible with this too. While I liked the design of the iPhone 12, I just never felt comfortable with it naked. It’s also a fingerprint and dust magnet. This case is just the perfect solution
iPhone 12 Camera
I’ve been lucky enough to test some of the best smartphone cameras on the market with the likes of the Huawei P40 Pro still topping the list. Again, the Pixel 5 had made me look differently at smartphone cameras. If you want simply incredible mobile shooting or massive zoom, the iPhone 12 isn’t for you. Perhaps the iPhone 12 Pro would do the business, but the leading smartphone cameras are still in Android smartphones. But that’s only if you really intend to squeeze everything from those cameras.
I would say the vast majority of the pictures I snap with my phone these days are simple shots of friends, products, food or random things throughout the day. Perhaps this is a byproduct of being locked down, but I don’t need a camera with 50x zoom most of the time or that shoots perfect pictures of the moon. I need a solid camera that’s in my pocket and ready to go. The iPhone 12 does just that. It’s solid.
It’s also capable of shooting fantastic video quality. I’ve been using the iPhone 12 connected to my iPad using Filmic Remote to shoot videos recently and love this set up. Despite being the “entry” iPhone 12 model, it can shoot 60fps 4K video. More than most people would ever need.
iPhone 12 Battery
If there was one area I expected to be slating, it’s battery. For me, Apple battery life in the past has been the biggest driver of power bank sales globally. Today, they’ve just about cracked a full day battery with average usage. Now, I do have to add that I’m pleasantly surprised with just how long the iPhone 12 battery was lasting. But at the same time, it’s just not en par with the some of the Android power beasts out there.
There’s also Apple’s frustrating continued insistence to use Lightning charge ports. In a world of USB-C where even MacBook and some iPads use USB-C, Apple continues to use their own proprietary charging technology. The result is a greater chance than when out and about, you won’t be able to find an iPhone charger. It’s been rumoured that Apple is going to go big on wireless, to the point where iPhones of the future won’t even have charge ports.
Seemingly, that’s how much Apple doesn’t want to adopt USB-C.
This Is One Fast iPhone
Apple claims this is their fastest ever iPhone. This is for two reasons.
Say Hello To 5G
While 5G technology is arguably quite well established in Ireland now, this is still the first iPhone to support 5G. Now, while the big three networks in Ireland offer 5G plans, it’s far from being the norm. It’s also not as groundbreaking a technology as the move from 3G to 4G. Despite all of that, the iPhone 12 has set some blistering speed tests for me.
I have 5G and regularly run speed tests because, let’s face it, that’s the main thing people do on 5G. While out and about in Dublin City, I’ve had the iPhone 12 hit speeds twice as fast as my home fibre broadband. On one humorous occasion, one of my friends nearly spit their lunch out.
These kinds of speeds don’t always impress people. It’s one of those “if you know you know” things. But the iPhone 12 is lightning fast.
A14 Bionic
Years of reviewing Huawei devices has really made me appreciate chipsets. Reason being that I’ve been shown how the world’s best camera hardware needs incredible processor power to finish the job. Apple’s A14 Bionic chip is fantastic, acting as the driving force behind several key features of the iPhone 12, from the camera to power management.
This all makes sense given that Apple has started to shift a lot of their resources towards research and development in this area. The “Apple Silicon” MacBook range has been greeted very warmly by the tech industry indeed, and the iPhone 12 is another chip gem in Apple’s crown.
Moving From Android To iPhone
I’m going to give you my overall verdict on the iPhone 12 in a bit, but first I want to touch upon how big a change this was for me. To many, it might seem a long overdue move. I’ve had a MacBook for years and last year bought myself an iPad. What I never really noticed was that I was slipping into Apple’s famous, or infamous, eco-system. I love the power and flexibility of Android phones which is why I never took the leap with iPhone.
I was missing out on so much.
The iPhone 12 has slotted so nicely into my life that I can’t see myself going back. I shoot a video then AirDrop it to my MacBook for editing. All of my apps work so well on iPhone. Why? Because developers always focus on perfecting their apps for the small range of Apple smartphones before looking at the seemingly endless list of Android phones, coming in all shapes and sizes.
I’ve even gone and bought myself an Apple AirTag because I can feel myself committing to Apple for the near future.
After years of slagging Apple and not understanding why people love iPhone, I now love iPhone. I now see that the whole Apple versus Android thing is about personal preference and, even more critical, personal needs. Would I like a big powerful sports car? Yes, but I can get around Dublin faster on a Dublin Bike.
The greatest shock of all is that I’m weighing up the iPhone 13 Pro as my next phone. This is wild for me to accept!
iPhone 12: The Verdict
I cannot stress enough just how big a critic of iPhone I’ve been over the years. Apple hasn’t necessarily changed, but I have. The iPhone battery still isn’t incredible. The speakers are sub-standard and the camera isn’t the best in the market. But it’s not all about having the worlds best specs and features. It’s about creating a phone that’s simply brilliant. That’s the iPhone 12.
The iPhone 12 is the very definition of an all-rounder smartphone. It’s neat and tidy but plenty powerful. If you need a small screen, the iPhone 12 mini is there. Better camera? Pick up the iPhone 12 Pro. Want that big screen? Then Apple has the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
It’s a clever range of phones from Apple, with something for everyone. However, the iPhone 12 is probably one of the best phones I’ve ever used and it’s just so unlikely to disappoint.
Should You Buy A Refurbished iPhone 12?
Regular readers will know that this phone I tested wasn’t brand new. It was an immaculately refurbished iPhone 12 from Refurbed.ie. As I mentioned, I’m giving the iPhone 13 Pro some serious consideration later this year and buying refurbished will absolutely be on my mind. My MacBook is an refurbished machine and now so is my iPhone 12.
You can save a small fortune and still get the iPhone you love by going down this route. Right now, the iPhone 12 will set you back €929 from Apple. That same iPhone 12 refurbished by Refurbed.ie will cost you just €720. Prices vary a lot based on supply and demand, but it’s definitely worth a thought if you’re in the market for a new iPhone.
Right. You’ve lost the run of your self during the Prime Day Sale and you want to get the very most out of that Prime membership. You scroll through the Prime Video listings and see a sci-fi blockbuster looking movie starring Chris Pratt by the name of The Tomorrow War. Do you watch it? Well, I’ve watched it so you don’t have to.
What Is The Tomorrow War About?
In the very near future, we’re talking World Cup 2022 in Qatar near future, a World Cup game is interrupted. Beaming onto the pitch are people from the future. 2051 to be more specific. Aliens known as Whitespikes have invaded earth and they are well able to fight. After sending military forces from around the world, just 20% return from battle. It’s not looking good so a worldwide draft kicks off sending citizens of earth to fight.
Chris Pratt plays Dan Forester a former green beret and current school biology teacher. He gets drafted and sent into the future to fight.
This movie is all about that fight and the wider fight for humanity’s survival.
What Are They Fighting In The Tomorrow War?
There are so many timelines criss-crossing in The Tomorrow War that telling you much about the story without spoiling it is really bloody hard! I can, however, touch upon what Chris Pratt and his fellow rat-tag bunch of soldiers find themselves up against. Humanity is ad war with aliens called Whitespikes. These blighters can fire spikes from a tentacle and I guess that’s where the name comes from.
Is The Tomorrow War A Sequel To Edge Of Tomorrow?
Some have drawn similarities between the Whitespikes and the aliens Tom Cruise fights in Edge of Tomorrow. They’re not related and the two movies don’t exist in the same universe.
Is The Tomorrow War Good? Is It Worth Watching?
I’m going to say skip this one. While The Tomorrow War tries to touch upon some clever themes like global warming and the general idea of how we should be trying to leave a better planet for our kids, overall it just drags on. The film keeps getting confused between being a more serious Alien-type movie and leaning into Pratt’s more humorous side.
The story has the potential to weave a really clever time-travelling timeline but it all ends up being a bit silly and rushed. The Tomorrow Runs for 138 minutes, yet amazingly parts of the story feel rushed. It’s one of those films where you have to leave all grasps of reality at the door but even still this sci-fi romp pushes its luck once too many times.
CHRIS PRATT, EDWIN HODGE, and SAM RICHARDSON stars in THE TOMORROW WAR
The whole way throughout the movie we learn of random skillsets and resources that fringe characters have that come back to be critical in the resolution of the story. For example, such a pivotal “end of days” moment in human history can partially come down to one of Forester’s student’s odd obsession with volcanos.
It’s all just a bit much.
There are some funny moments to generate a giggle, but the groan I let out realising there was thirty minutes left told me everything I needed to know about reviewing this movie.
Where To Watch The Tomorrow War
The Tomorrow War was originally produced for cinema release until Amazon waded in and bought the lot. That means you can only stream The Tomorrow War on Prime Video.
