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Huawei FreeBuds 4i Review: €79 Buds Delivering Everything You Need

Marty
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0
Huawei FreeBuds 4i Review: €79 Buds Delivering Everything You Need

It’s no secret that Huawei phones have lost a bit of their appeal since Google was banned from working with them. Every cloud has a silver lining. While there’s no sign of the Biden Administration helping out, Huawei has started to invest heavily in other areas of their business to create gadgets that support smartphones. While the likes of their Gentle Monster sunglasses collaboration is cool, it won’t appeal to every user. Dedicated audio, on the other hand, does have broad appeal. Huawei has churned out some incredible earbuds and headphones in recent years from the FreeBuds 3 to the FreeBuds Studio.

Huawei has just launched its latest pair of truly wireless earbuds called the FreeBuds 4i. I’ve been reviewing these for the past few days, here’s what I think.

The Huawei FreeBuds 4i Features

Huawei has split its earbuds into three price points. At the top, are the Huawei FreeBuds Pro, in the middle are still the FreeBuds 3. Previously, their entry-level buds were the FreeBuds 3i, a pair of buds people still tell me they’re delighted they bought them. Now, these are being replaced with the FreeBuds 4i.

Sound Quality

I’m going to kick off with the sound quality. Sometimes I keep this till later, but I think this is noteworthy to start with. The predecessor to these buds were great, but I could still tell they were the entry-level buds. There was just something about them that made them good for their price, a subtle difference from being just good in their own right.

The FreeBuds 4i are considerably better. Huawei describes this as being learnings from the high-end feeding the low-end. For me, this nails it. I love my FreeBuds 3. They’re my goto call buds, but the FreeBuds 4i are right up there. They’re not just good for the price, they’re a great pair of earbuds full stop.

Listening

After being run through the tech behind the buds, it’s clear that a lot of research and development has led to even these entry-level buds being the result of scientific endeavour. 

The buds’ driver design cleverly emphasises the treble highs while also reducing distortion. Crisp audio, clear treble and enough bass to be punchy without making the buds too uncomfortable to wear for longer stints – important considering the battery life. I’ll come back to that later. 

These is one bit of functionality which the FreeBuds 4i do not support and I will miss this. You can only connect to one device at a time. While working from home, I’ve enjoyed listening to music on my phone while quickly jumping on a team video conference without changing buds or fiddling with Bluetooth settings. This is one sacrifice you make for the price.

Talking

Has mic-quality become more important than ever now that many of us spend so much time on video calls? Whether it’s for work or keeping in touch with family, often it will be with a pair of headphones or earbuds

The Huawei FreeBuds 4i provide excellent mic quality.

I love real-world testing and on a video-call shortly after getting these buds, my audio quality was complimented. That’s a pretty big compliment to get today if you’re working from home. These buds feature a slit-duct design similar to that of the Huawei FreeBuds 3 which practically eliminates wind noise.

Active Noise Cancellation

Active Noise Cancellation is one of those technologies that has become so standard and affordable in an incredibly short period of time. These buds demonstrate that best. I remember testing my beloved FreeBuds 3 and being completely underwhelmed by the ANC. Now, the technology is nearly at the standard of my “other beloved” headphones, my Bose QC35 II over-ear headphones.

Design

The buds themselves are light. Really light, again, contributing to being wearable for longer. In the box, you’ll get three silicon tip sizes to ensure a comfy fit. Not quite the range of fit options you get from the Melomania Touch, but plenty nonetheless.

Huawei freebuds 4i review

I’ve been looking more and more into ear fatigue lately, having touched on this when reviewing the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro. Owing to the lightweight design and shape of the earbuds themselves, pressure on your ears is greatly reduced. This is an essential bit of progress for the earbuds as vastly improved battery life means you can wear these for nearly more than twice as long as the precious buds. With a 10 hour battery sans ANC or 7.5 hours with ANC, you’ll rarely go a full workday or trip while requiring a charge. If you do, 10 minutes gives you four hours of use and a grand total of 22 hours with the charge-case.

For that reason, it’s critical that Huawei successfully tackled ear fatigue, making them just the second pair of earbuds I’ve tested to do so properly.

Huawei FreeBuds 4i: The Verdict

When you get to test buds week in and week out, the romance can be lost. I know, it’s a first world problem but it’s an important point. Because during all of these tests, something arrives that makes testing worth it again. The Huawei FreeBuds 4i absolutely does that for me.

The technology is affordable and the quality, while not quite at Apple AirPod level, is far from indicative of the price gap. You’re looking at a pair of buds here which will set you back €80 but delivery quality, not short of, a €200 pair of buds. The technology has come a long long way and making the decision on buying should be easier than ever.

The Huawei FreeBuds 4i is available to buy from today for €80, and is available from Vodafone, Carphone Warehouse, Eir, DID, Power City, Harvey Norman, and Three.

Help! I Don’t Understand NFTs: What Are Non-Fungible Tokens

Marty
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0
Help! I Don’t Understand NFTs: What Are Non-Fungible Tokens

First of all, don’t worry. You’re not alone and this could very well be something you won’t hear about for very long. Looking at you CryptoKitties. There is yet another blockchain trend poking its head into the feeds of the general public. This particular buzzing term is Non-fungible Tokens or NFTs. Here’s what they are and why they’re probably going to disappear pretty quick.

What Are Non-Fungible Tokens Or NFTs?

Non-fungible tokens are basically unique tokens which represent a digital asset. The name means that it can’t be replaced with something else. It’s unique. Take the Mona Lisa. That’s non-fungible. If I own the original Mona Lisa and sell it, I no longer have it. I might have a copy or a re-print, but the one from Da Vinci’s brush is gone.

Non-fungible tokens are trying to achieve the same level of uniqueness in a digital world. Unlike art, NFTs a little less “real” in that they represent digital assets. If you’ve seen Ready Player Two, you might already have a feel for what this is like and why it could be important for the future. NFTs can be absolutely anything. Your picture online could be an NFT. A tweet you’ve sent in the past could be an NFT or even a voice recording uploaded online. The NFT itself is just a token that points towards the digital asset. And here is the big problem.

What’s The Point Of NFTs?

NFTs are an imperfect solution to a real problem. Actually, they’re a pretty awful solution to a problem. If someone uploads a piece of art to the web, generates an NFT and then sells that NFT, I can still go to where that piece of art sits and download it. NFTs provide little more than a sense of ownership in a digital world, as opposed to real ownership that you would get when buying physical item.

One of the highest profile items up for grabs as an NFT was Jack Dorsey’s, founder of Twitter, first tweet. That’s gone for a very real $2.5 million. But here you go, you can have it for free.

What happens if Jack deletes that Tweet? What happens if I sell a voice file and then delete it? What happens if I create 50 of the same voice file and sell them as unique? It’s all well and good saying the hi-res image online belongs to me, as long as it exists at all.

Some claim that NFTs prove society respects artists, but torrents say otherwise. Whether I own the NFT for a movie or just download the pirated copy, I’ve consumed and enjoyed. I’m finito.

NFTs feel like they’re close to solving a massive problem, but the more you scratch the surface you realise it’s Whistler’s Mother from the gift shop we’re looking at here. These are peak online notions.

With that said, if you think too long about currency, you’ll end up in a panic too. At the end of the day, we all just agree that specific pieces of paper are worth €20.

Where To Watch Mrs. Doubtfire: Directors Confirm Robin Williams Cut

Marty
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0
Where To Watch Mrs. Doubtfire: Directors Confirm Robin Williams Cut

Eagled-eyed internet users might have spotted a lot more chatter about Mrs. Doubtfire than usual. You wouldn’t begrudge it because Mrs. Doubtfire is one of the best comedy classics going, arguably some of Robin Williams’ finest work. But why the sudden jump in interest again? Well, it has emerged that there is an R-rated version of the movie that has never seen the light of day, and everyone is very interested.

If that’s enough to make you want to jump in and give the classic a watch, Disney+ customers can stream Mrs. Doubtfire right now. But it’s the original cut.

R-rated Mrs. Doubtfire Is Confirmed

If you’ve ever watched an interview with Robin Williams, you’ll know what kind of energy the man had. He was wild and his greatest strength simply had to be improvisation. Williams could make the mundane hilarious in a fraction of a second. This could be traced back to the very early days of Williams’ career when his improvisations would leave fellow drama school attendees doubled over with laughter.

Improvisation a strength, much of the random unscripted moments Williams brings to roles becomes his most memorable moments. Check out these ten examples.

And this is where we get to Mrs. Doubtfire again. It recently emerged that during filming the hit movie, Williams had improvised so much material that there’s an entire unreleased version of Mrs. Doubtfire locked away somewhere.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the movie’s director Chris Columbus confirmed that there is indeed an R-rated version of the movie. The original cut was PG-13, but during filming Williams had ad-libbed so many lines that another cut exists which would need to be Rated-R.

The director and Williams had a deal where they would first shoot scenes before letting Williams off the leash to do what he though the scene needed. Columbus describes how the actor would “sometimes go into territory that wouldn’t be appropriate for a PG-13 movie”.

It’s obvious enough, but this also confirms that the director had planned the movie for a certain age audience and they couldn’t wander too far from that.

What Is R-rated?

Rated-R is a classification from a movie rating system from the U.S. When a movie is classified as “Rated-R” it’s deemed “restricted”, hence the “R”. To view this movie, you would need to either be over the age of seventeen or be accompanied by a parent or guardian. This is due to some adult material and parents would be encouraged to review the movie before letting kids watch it.

There was also rumoured to be a NC-17 cut of Mrs. Doubtfire, but the director denied this, saying he had “only [previously] used the phrase NC-17 as a joke. There could be no NC-17 version of the movie”.

Will The R-Rated Version Of Mrs. Doubtfire Be Released?

I think it’s almost certain. The movie industry is on its knees right now as a result of the pandemic. Shooting new material is complicated. Making the most of content that already exists could be a way for the industry to make a quick buck. Zack Snyder’s extended cut of the Justice League has just been re-released. While campaigns to get this cut released took place long before the pandemic, the decision to release on the HBO Max streaming platform was made in May 2020. Make of that what you will.

The original cut of Mrs. Doubtfire is available to watch right now on Disney+, but I have a feeling that it won’t be long before this Robin Williams cut of the movie is released too.

Hidden Games Crime Scene: Little Gomersal Case Review

Marty
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0
Hidden Games Crime Scene: Little Gomersal Case Review

Is this a tech review? I don’t know. It’s more of a “I bought this to pass the time and I think you should too” kind of review. Google Trends data shows that in the build-up to Christmas every year, we all get very interested in board games. Last year, this interest started earlier than ever in the run-up to Christmas but also had a spike in March as we learned of lockdown. I was still rather late to the “board game” thing, but have bought a few. The best one I’ve come across so far is a murder mystery detective game created by a German company called Hidden Games. I’ve played the Little Gomersal murder mystery game, and here’s why I think you’ll love it.

This is a spoiler-free review.

What Is Hidden Games Crime Scene All About?

Hidden Games is a German puzzle company. Over the past few years, they’ve nailed extremely premium experience escape rooms. They’ve also turned their hand to crime investigation games and it’s one of these that I bought to test out.

The first of this games is Hidden Games Crime Scene – The First Case: The Little Gomersal Case. The concept is simple enough. Once you order your game, it’s delivered and you get to take part in what is effectively an “escape room” style game in your own home. Myself and by better half took on the challenge which took the full 2.5-hours the game advertises to complete.

How Does Hidden Games Crime Scene Work?

The immersive nature of the game is obvious from the get-go. The manilla-style envelope gets you feeling like a detective straight away. Read the back of this package. It’s important and includes what parameters you need to meet to win the game. For example, who sent you the letter in the package and who is the killer. There are four things in total you need to work out.

If you’re gifting this to someone else, maybe give them a heads up. I sent this to someone in my family and didn’t tell them, thinking the surprise would be cool. They then thought they needed to work out who sent the package itself, not the letter in the evidence.

Once you open your envelope, you’ll find loads of evidence. You need to sort through all of this and find your start point. There are some bits and pieces which will be of obvious help immediately. Other bits of evidence will need thinking and might only make sense depending on some of the other evidence you’ve sorted through. There are also some documents to help you track your work, including that classic police pin board sheet. Get your red string out if you want to go all in on the experience.

What Do I Need To Play?

To start your murder mystery, you’ll need about 2.5 hours. There’s no reason you can’t play on your own, but the game is recommended for 2 to 6 players. Because of the incredible production quality and effort the game designers put in, you’ll also need your phone, ideally with a laptop too.

When you’ve gathered the evidence and are fairly confident you know the answers, you need to head to a the Hidden Games website and validate your theories.

Is Hidden Games Crime Scene Worth Buying?

This is a massive yes from me. It’s not a very cheap game at €30, especially for the uninitiated when it comes to “board games”. But the production quality of the game is incredible. By the end of solving our mystery, and we did successfully solve it all, we could absolutely see how the price is justified.

The one bit of advise I have for people is to try and keep your notes separate. Use post-it notes and don’t write or draw on the evidence. We did which means we couldn’t pass the game onto anyone else. It’s a single play game so, once you don’t draw on it, you can easily pass it onto friends and family to try out.

You can buy the first Hidden Games Crime Scene game right now from Amazon.co.uk. The game manufacturers have several other games created in German already and they are converting them to English to meet massive demand. The next English version of their game will be released towards the end of April or the start of May.

Extreme E: Everything You Need To Know

Marty
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Extreme E: Everything You Need To Know

Getting a new sport feels like a particularly special treat these days. Formula 1 is back next week and, to tide us over till then, we have Drive to Survive Season 3 on Netflix. The big bonus coming our way is a whole new motorsport championship called Extreme E. It aims to be a showcase for electric cars and sustainability, but just what is the championship’s mission?

What Is Extreme E?

Extreme E is an off-road racing series that kicks off this year. It’s a fully-fledged FIA championship and has already attracted some very big names, including F1 World Champion Jenson Button along with endorsements from Lewis Hamilton, arguably the greatest F1 driver in history and multi-championship and record holder.

Extreme E’s unique draw is that racers will drive electric off-road vehicles in remote areas such as the Amazon or Arctic.

How Are Extreme E Races Run?

Each Extreme X race weekend will include two days of action. Each team races twice on Saturday, in Qualifying Round 1 and Qualifying Round 2. Semi-Final 1 and Semi-Final 2 and Final on Sunday. Each race is two laps – one lap driven by the female and one lap driven by the male.

All results based on race finishing position, not race time. The race winner is awarded 25 points, second gets 15 points and third gets 10. There are points for all finishing in the top 10.

What’s The Point Of Extreme E?

The racing of Extreme E is a metaphor, made clear from the “race for the planet” motto emerging from the sport. The goal of Extreme E is to pick up where sports like Formula 1 fails. Things like environmental impact. First of all, the SUVs are zero-emisson vehicles.

Speaking to Red Bull Magazine, the race founder, Alejandro Agag outlines how Extreme E drives “on rocks and sand. Cars cannot break sand, cannot break rocks. There’s no damage.”

The races take place in unique locations, specifically picked to focus on global climate challenges.

How Does Extreme E Plan To Stay Eco-Friendly?

One of the biggest challenges faced by international motorsports is travel. Between races, Extreme E cars will be transported inside a ship, namely the RMS St Helen. Across the hull, in massive letters, is “Not Electric…..yet!”. The ship’s engines have been converted to run on low-sulphur diesel which is much cleaner than the heavy diesel typically used in shipping. It’s planned the ship will eventually run on biofuel.

When Does Extreme E Start?

Extreme E starts on 3rd and 4th April 2021 in the sands of Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. Next up, the series moves to Dakar, Senegal in May. In August, Kangerlussuaq in Denmark hosts an Arctic X-Prix, and then Extreme E moves to Santarem, Brazil, in October, for a competition where the Amazon once stood. The series finale takes place in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, in December.

One thing I’ll hasten to call out again is that motorsports really need to ask themselves if Saudi Arabia, where LGBTQI+ people still face persecution, should be on a race calendar.

Who Owns Extreme E?

Extreme E was founded in 2018 by Formula E founder Alejandro Agag and former driver Gil de Ferran.

What Famous Drivers Are Involved In Extreme E?

A large number of familiar motorsport names have emerged in some way, shape or form around the Extreme E championship. Team X44 is owned by F1-legend and current reigning champion Lewis Hamilton, with the team bearing his racing number. Former World Rally Championship winner and Father of F1 driver sharing the same name, Carlos Sainz Snr, will drive for a Spanish team.

Staying on the theme of Spain is Cristina Gutiérrez, the first Spanish female car driver to finish the Dakar Rally and the second woman to win a stage of the famous race. Extreme E is making a big effort when it comes to gender equality. Teams will include a male and female driver, competing together in every two-lap race as driver and co-driver. It’s up to the teams to determine driver and co-driver to best suit their strategy.

|Photographer: Jordi Rierola|Event: Preseason Testing|Circuit: MotorLand Aragon|Location: Alcaniz|Series: Extreme E|Country: Spain|Season: 2020|Keyword: 2020|Team: Team X44|Car: Spark ODYSSEY 21|Driver: Sebastien Loeb|Driver: Cristina Gutierrez|

As I mentioned earlier, Jenson Button both owns the JBXE team and will be driving.

Who Makes Extreme E Cars?

The cars of Extreme E are not regular road cars. The all-electric SUVs are built by Spark, the same company that create Formula E race cars. The Spark Odyssey 21 electric SUV will be the car all teams use for the 2021 championship and uses a battery produced by Willians Advanced Engineering, a child company of Williams Racing.

The Spark Odyssey can do 0-100 kmph in just 4.5 seconds.

How To Watch Extreme E

This is an important question, especially if you’re going to try and watch Extreme E from Ireland. Formula E always seemed to be tricky to watch live and that’s half the craic!

The Extreme E website lists all broadcasters who plan to show the championship. For Ireland, you’ll be switching on Virgin Media and it looks like they’ll be broadcasting live too. If you do have Sky Sports, they’ll also be showing it and I’d imagine providing more in-depth coverage given their entire F1 channel craves more content. BBC and BT Sport will also be broadcasting coverage.

Is WhatsApp And Instagram Down?

Marty
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0
Is WhatsApp And Instagram Down?

Yep.

You can argue this is clickbait, but it’s just the answer to your question!

I was using WhatsApp Web and noticed the system wouldn’t let me log in. Both WhatsApp and Instagram, owned by Facebook are down. Confirmed by countless people on Twitter. It appears that Facebook Messenger is also impacted by the outage.

This is an excellent time to download something better and more secure than WhatsApp, like Signal or Threema.

Watch The Stunning Irish St Patrick’s Day Drone Show

Marty
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0
Watch The Stunning Irish St Patrick’s Day Drone Show

I love a good drone show. Probably one of the most impressive was following Biden’s victory in the US Presidential Race towards the end of last year. As we were coming to terms with the fact there’s no flatbeds and tractors pulling awful floats up the road, the St. Patrick’s Day Festival organisers, along with Tourism Ireland and Dublin City Council were organising a drone show. Yes! To celebrate our national day, we got a massive drone show and no one was told about it. Rightly so to be honest.

Watch The St. Patrick’s Day Drone Show From Ireland

Here’s the video in full, provided courtesy of Tourism Ireland.

How Was The Paddy’s Day Drone Video Shot?

Drone shows are growing in popularity for many reasons. They are breathtaking to watch, of course, but they’re also more environmentally friendly that loads of explosives going off. Not to mention what that does to pets. For this video, over 500 drones lit up to Dublin night sky. The drones are controlled from a central computer and programmed to fly synchronised routes. The result is stunning mid-air graphics, animations and sentences.

From chatting to a few people, it seems the recording of the drone show was kept quiet. The correct decision as bored Dubliners would have loved nothing more than to crowd around the Samuel Beckett Bridge. By the looks of the video, and by how exceptionally quiet the streets are, even in Covid-19 times, I’m wager this was filmed in the wee hours of the morning.

Cool though, eh? If you’re looking for some more Irish stuff to pass the day, check out what Netflix has to offer.

Irish Stuff To Watch On Netflix For St. Patrick’s Day

Marty
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0
Irish Stuff To Watch On Netflix For St. Patrick’s Day

Well, we’re here again. Another parade-less St. Patrick’s Day. There’s not a whole lot to do is there? Well, we do have the RTE Virtual Parade I guess. If that’s not to your taste, perhaps some Irish-related stuff from the Netflix is in order?

The Siege of Jadotville

This is one of those movies that gets you so pumped to be Irish. You know that feeling, right?

The Siege of Jadotville tells the true story of Irish Soldiers who were besieged by overwhelming enemy forces while on a UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo.  The heroes led by Commandant Pat Quinlan fought for five days and heroically defended their outpost.

The Irish who fought at Jadotville were shamed for their performance despite it being genuinely legendary levels of heriocs. More recently, those heroics have been recognised officially.

The Office: Season 6 Episode 19 – St Patrick’s Day

The Office is one of the all time greats. You can watch from start to finish or just dive in a grab an episode. This particular episode is, as the name suggests, about St. Patrick’s Day. Michael mistakenly believes that he impressed Jo while Dwight disrupts Jim’s first day back from paternity leave. Andy and Erin have an usual first date. Cute.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 11 Episode 8 – Charlie Catches a Leprechaun

It’s another one like The Office in the sense that nearly every episode is a classic. I’d argue the whole show is more than a bit Irish give the gang runs Paddy’s Pub. They run it badly, of course, but there’s a bit of Irish. in every episode.

In “Charlie Catches a Leprechaun”, Dennis plans to turn the fate of Paddy’s around. As you might imagine, right from the get-go, it seems to be a bad idea. Then, Charlie and Mac join forces to catch a “leprechaun”. It’s about as PC as you’d expect from Always Sunny. It’s also exactly what you think in general.

Bridgerton

I’d be surprised if you’ve gotten through most of the lockdown without watching Bridgerton. The romantic, scandalous, and quick-witted series celebrates the timelessness of enduring friendships, families finding their way, and the search for a love that conquers all.

The show also stars Galway-native Nicola Coughlan, who has famously confirmed she skipped loads of scenes in the raunchy show while watching with her Ma. Doesn’t get more Irish than that.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

We still managed to get a Eurovision last year. Ireland is a superstar at the European Song Contest, appearing 53 times, 43 of those being finals and winning seven times! It’s in our DNA. The Netflix movie follows two small-town singers chase their pop star dreams of emulating Irish success on the big stage.

For good measure, you also get Pierce Brosnan.

The Irishman

Arguably the longest film of all time based on “feel”. It’s not a bad flick, although it did feel a bit like pulling a hape of auld lads out of retirement to play young gangsters. Incredible CGI sometimes being undermined by questionable movements of the actors, but look. If you want a one-stop-shop to pass the bulk of Paddy’s Day year, watching a movie about hit-man Frank Sheeran wouldn’t be at the bottom of my list.

Derry Girls 

But if you want something from the very top of my list of things to watch, Derry Girls would be up there. If you, somehow, haven’t heard about it, Derry Girls is all about a group of teens and their families during the Troubles in the early 1990s.

There is a whole host of other stuff to watch on Netflix this Paddy’s Day. Just search Irish and you’ll find the entire Irish Movies and TV category!

The EU’s Right to Repair ruling; What does it mean for you?

Alex
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The EU’s Right to Repair ruling; What does it mean for you?

The right to repair has been a hotly debated topic in the world of tech and gadgetry for a long time now. Hotly debated insofar as a lot of consumers are in favour, while companies and lobby groups are opposed. Put very simply, the right to repair does what it says on the tin. You have the right to repair or modify your devices without going back to the manufacturer. It essentially demonopolizes the ability to fix anything from your phone to your lawnmower or your washing machine.

Now look, we’ve all broken a phone screen or two in our time and I’m sure we’ve all been to one of those shops, usually off the beaten path, for a cheap repair (or at least one that’s cheaper and faster than “official” channels). The issue with this is that going to these shops (or sometimes even repairing the device yourself) voided the device’s warranty so it could not be repaired by the manufacturer if something worse happened.

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there

That’s all due to change now thanks to a ruling by the EU in November 2020 which came into effect last week. This new ruling basically states that any company selling consumer electronics in the EU will have to allow their devices to be worked on with conventional tools and will have to be shipped with a repair manual to allow consumers to carry out their own handiwork. The news is good for our non-EU neighbours as well since this ruling also applies to companies operating in the UK. As well as making your electronics easier to operate on, the legislation also stipulates that spare parts for devices must remain available for at least 10 years after the initial manufacture date. For example, if you buy a brand-new Samsung TV tomorrow, you can be guaranteed that you’ll still be able to buy a replacement stand, remote, or even screen for it in 2031.

This sounds great, but what’s the catch?

This all sounds great, right? Unfortunately, there are a few small catches to this particular piece of legislation that are still being hotly “debated”. First and foremost, small electronic devices like phones, laptops, and tablets aren’t covered (yet). This means that if you crack your screen or if there’s an issue with charging, you’ll still have to go to the manufacturer or one of the “dodgy” shops. Thankfully this issue is being targeted by a large number of advocacy groups and politicians in the US where Apple, Sony, and Nintendo have already gotten in a lot of hot water over their warranty policies, so the tide is beginning to turn.

Right to Repair protests outside the European Commission HQ in Brussels

Secondly, there will still be some repair jobs that consumers cannot do themselves. Some repair jobs or part refitting will have to be done by professional companies. To me, though, this seems like a benefit in disguise. Hopefully, a bit of competition will drive repair prices down for certain jobs. Also, I’m not sure I trust myself with some more expensive or finicky repairs like a washing machine drum or a heating element in a hair straightener.

Will this have an environmental impact?

This is all good for you and good for me. But what about us? What about how this will affect the wider community, the EU, or even the planet? Well, it’s nothing but positives from that perspective! In 2016 the EU produced an estimated 12.3 metric tons of e-waste, and that figure is growing by 2% every year.  As we’ve highlighted before, there are nearly 5 million unused phones in Ireland alone. This figure is only made worse by the fact that only about 20% of that waste is recycled. The rest is just sitting in landfills somewhere doing who knows what to the planet. Thankfully, this legislation will lead us to a more circular economy, one where people will be encouraged to repair their devices instead of replacing them.

The demand that there be replacement parts available for at least a decade will also cut down on planned obsolescence by large manufacturers. For example, a manufacturer may place a heating coil in a hairdryer that they know will only last up to 5 years, meaning the consumer would have to buy an entirely new unit after that time. Now, though, we can simply buy a new element and fix the device ourselves, saving us both money and a little bit of e-waste!

A look at the new efficiency labels we can expect to see on our goods

Finally, in conjunction with this legislation there has been a new framework for efficiency ratings introduced that will raise the standards for electronic good across the EU. Currently we have an A-G scale with A being the hypothetical most ecological device and G being the least. However, in recent years it became apparent that the overwhelming majority of goods were rated at an A or above (A+, A++ and the coveted A+++). This led to the EU passing legislation to raise standards and essentially reset the clock to push for more and more efficient and ecological goods. Essentially this means that goods that were previously rated at an A grade may be classified as a C or a D going forward.

Fight for what’s right!

So there you have it, a quick whistle-stop tour of what your new Right to Repair means for you and for our planet. Are you going to try your hand at some home repairs next time the dishwasher is giving you grief? Will you be hanging on to your telly for a little longer if some of the paneling is wearing out? If you want to know more about the ongoing fight for your Right to Party…er…Repair check out repair.eu to see what’s being done currently and what you can do to help out. Happy repairing!

Drive To Survive Season 3 Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Marty
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Drive To Survive Season 3 Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Sebastian Vettel is asked about the 2020 season so far and why it’s going so badly. “We don’t have that much time to be honest. Next question”.

The Formula One season was something special. It felt like we shouldn’t have had a season at all with everything going on, but as they say – “Cash is King”. Against all odds, we got 17 races in the 2020 season and it was another somewhat predictable title for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. Record after record being broken, yet the sport is lacking some excitement. At least that’s on the track. Off the track, Ferrari fell apart, Racing Point was suspiciously fast, contracts ran to the wire and Bottas, well, he’s got a new side to him that is much more fun that I previously thought. I’ve seen that other side after watching Drive to Survive Season 3 on Netflix.

What Is Drive To Survive?

Drive to Survive has been one of Netflix’s standout homemade docu-series following the ups and downs of one of the most exciting sports on the planet; Formula One. F1 owners, Liberty Media, have always been eager to make the sport more accessible to existing fans while also growing interest amongst new potential fans. Drive to Survive provides the perfect platform with a balance of behind the scenes excitement, unprecedented access to the unseen storylines in and between team and info to get you up to speed with the sport.

Now in its third season, it’s hard to see why the dream team of Netflix and F1 would part ways. Season 4 is rumoured to be agreed upon and today, as testing kicks off in Bahrain, I’ll be keeping an eye out for the Netflix cameras.

I’ve watched some of Season 3 already and it’s possibly the most exciting to date.

First Four Episodes Of Drive To Survive Season 3

If you don’t watch F1 there will be some spoilers of assumed knowledge.

Covid-19

Season 3 kicks off with chatter of Covid-19 in the background of F1 drivers, team owners and team principles, going about their pre-season preparations. I mean that literally. Racing Point team principle Otmar Szafnauer is driving to the launch of the seasons car, or at least something that looked like the car, and on the radio we heard about Covid-19 spreading in China. This repeats itself a few times right up to Australia where the season plunges into doubt as a McLaren mechanic tests positive for Covid-19.

It’s so odd to look back at a year ago. It puts the past year into context. I remember being in Barcelona myself the weekend F1 testing began. The world felt like an odd place, but nothing like it is today. Looking back, there was a certain naivety about it all. Seeing media huddling around each other but distancing from the drivers. So weird to see it now. Odd to see back when we knew so little. Drive to Survive has, almost by accident, become one of the most unique pieces of sports history as it was one of the few international sports to survive Covid-19.

Before long, the season is back with everyone wearing U-Masks, which have seemingly survived a scare they had in Italy.

The Level Of Access Is Incredible

As I said, the 2020 season was unpredictable off the track. That makes for great telly. Having watched all of the seasons to date, this seems to be the best level of access yet. Which makes sense. The series has proven itself. Netflix gets to create content in a time where that’s next to impossible. F1 gets to make money when fans have been told to stay away from tracks. Team sponsors know they’re getting a massive boost to their visibility.

drive to survive season 3

Drive to Survive has turned into an entertainment beast and, I’d argue, a very important outlet for the sport. As a result, the access the producers get is remarkable. The difference in Season 3 is that everyone seems more aware of this than previous seasons. Rather shockingly, it doesn’t mean less juicy storylines because everyone is being careful, but it’s like they know what they’re at.

Vettel discusses a potential return to Red Bull with Christian Horner, then glances at the camera. I’m still trying to work out if what Bottas does in episode two was public knowledge that I just missed or some of the juicest parts of this whole series.

Some of the most important people in the sport are wearing microphones and heard saying things which are, frankly, somewhat shocking.

Paddock Comradery

While rivalry is to be expected, a lot of the friendships behind the scenes is somewhat amazing. Of course, the big crash at the end of the season showed the respect everyone has for each other, but Drive to Survive shows there’s something else. In one scene, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez offers Haas’ Guenther Steiner a flight to a track in the private jet booked for him. Ok, so it’s fairly first world comradery but still.

F1 Dances With Morality

I’m a huge F1 fan so this section does hurt me a bit. Drive to Survive opens a small window into the moral questions the the sport needs to ask of itself. The episode “Cash is King” shows Lewis Hamilton famously stating his shock that the drivers were sitting in a room with media shortly before the last minute cancellation of the Grand Prix.

I’ve not got to the last episode yet which has a discussion with Lewis Hamilton and what it’s like being Black in F1, but I’ll be interested to see how much they cover. For example, will this episode touch upon the disorganisation of the anti-racism message before each race?

Hamilton black lives matters

F1 also raced under the slogan of “We Race As One”, promoting diversity in the sport and a more sustainable future. From Hamilton being the lone Black driver to the massive carbon footpring the sport generates, one wonders just how dedicated to a sustainable future F1 really is. Some might even say the sport is rather hypocritical.

F1 still visits particularly rich locations such as Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Singapore where members of the LGBTQI community face persecution for simply being themselves.

Top it all off with the simply incredible fact that Nikita Mazepin managed to keep his seat despite, well, everything he’s done.

F1 needs to start having answers for all of this soon.

Drive to Survive Season 3: Is It Worth Watching?

Having just being able to binge through the first half of season 3 in time for this review, my answer is a resounding yes. The 2020 season was interesting for so many reasons, even if on the track was average. More and more it’s becoming apparent that behind the scenes of F1 is arguably better than the 50+ laps on a Sunday for those with a fleeting interest in the sport. For hardcore F1 fans, the level of access is mouth watering.

All ten episodes of Drive to Survive Season 3 are out now.

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