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GoMo Launches Special Revolut Offer: How Does It Weigh Up?

Marty
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GoMo Launches Special Revolut Offer: How Does It Weigh Up?

Not that long ago, Revolut launched a rewards section in their online banking app. Personally I didn’t expect much from it. Even though the online-only bank has well over one million customers in Ireland, it’s not unusual to see apps like this ignore the Irish market. I got this one totally wrong. Revolut has released several offers specifically for the Irish market, the latest one being with the Eir-powered network GoMo.

Update: This offer is no longer available. But if you’re a prepay customer, check this out. Top-up online or using the Ding app and the next day you get a surprise gift! Just make sure you’ve opted in to receive emails from Ding.

What Is The GoMo Revolut Offer?

GoMo is offering Revolut customers a free month on their network. That means a free month of calls, texts and data and after that month you’ll be paying €12.99 per month, which is GoMo’s general lead offer right now. If you’re wondering what the catch is with this deal, you can take a look at our in-depth review of a previous offer GoMo launched with. While the offers aren’t the same, much of the fine print is.

Naturally, because this offer is through Revolut you’ll have to pay for your plan with your Revolut card. Then your first month will be free and the following months will be taken from your Revolut account. Here, along with your GoMo payments, you’ll be able to track recurring monthly subscriptions that’s the Revolut’s handy functionality.

How Does The GoMo Offer Weigh Up?

The value mobile plan space has gone crazy in Ireland over the past few months so how does this offering from GoMo weigh up?

What Are The Value Networks?

The first thing you need to check out is just who are the value networks. The most important thing you need to know is which network is behind the network. This is important because there’s is often little or no difference between the day to day experience you’ll get from picking one over the other. For example, GoMo runs on Eir and from my own testing the network quality seems to be the same on both. The only difference really is that Eir offers 5G and GoMo does not, but let’s stay away from that level of detail.

The value networks in Ireland, and the network that powers them are:

NetworkPowered By
48Three
GoMoEir
LycamobileThree
An Post MobileVodafone
Tesco MobileThree
Virgin MobileThree
A list of Irish MVNOs and the physical network behind them

This is significant because you can enjoy the same network coverage on 48 as you can Three, again without access to Three’s 5G network. This is the same for all operators and with that knowledge, we can compare GoMo, 48 and An Post Mobile to find the best deal on the big networks through a virtual operator.

48

48 recently relaunched and they relaunched aggressively. If you join 48 before November 10th, you get all your calls and texts along with a fairly decent 100GB of data. All of this will set you back just €7.99 once you’re signed up before November 10th. Not too shabby and it is in fact the best deal in the market right now.

An Post Mobile

An Post Mobile is the value path to Vodafone. Right now you can join An Post Mobile for €15 per month and, like this new GoMo offer, you’ll get your first month free if you switch your number to the network. If you’re getting a new number, the price stays the same but you’ll be paying for your first month. For your money, you’ll have unlimited calls, texts and 4G data.

They rank third of these three big offers.

GoMo

So how does GoMo’s Revolut offer weigh up in the current market? Well, the important thing to remember is that after that first free month, you’ll be paying €12.99 per month which is second only to 48 offer. The big difference between the two, beyond price, is 48’s 100GB data limit versus GoMo’s unlimited data. Well, GoMo has a fair usage policy of 80GB. While that’s still fairly generous it means you’ll still have access to more mobile data on 48.

OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G Review: A New Challenger Brand Enters Irish Market

Marty
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OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G Review: A New Challenger Brand Enters Irish Market

Over the years there’s no denying smartphones have gotten a little bit boring. Samsung and Apple were sucking the fun out of new phones until Huawei entered the market. After years of wild innovation from the Chinese manufacturer, Trump’s America called a halt to the craic. While Huawei has impressively launched several phones and developed the Huawei AppGallery at an impressive pace, the move from the sleek world offered by Google-supported Android isn’t for everyone. When testing out the Google Pixel 5 recently I realised that the Google eco-system is a beauty to behold when it works well. That’s why I was excited to get my hands on the brand new OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G. I’ve been using it for a few weeks and here’s what I think.

Who Is OPPO?

I’m not going to go into the deep detail on this again as I’ve already written about who OPPO is and what they stand for. The top level is that they are a Chinese smartphone manufacturer offering impressive specs at competitive prices. In short, they’ve waited for a long time to enter the Irish market and you can’t really argue with right now being the perfect time to do so.

The OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G

OPPO has entered the market with two phones all falling under the OPPO Reno 4 Series umbrella. Three Ireland and Eir are selling two the two 5G models:

  • OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G
  • OPPO Reno 4 Z 5G

Both are also selling the the OPPO A53 outside of the Reno 4 Series.

I’ve had my sim in the OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G for the past few weeks, since testing the Google Pixel 5, and I’m ready to tell you it’s a great piece of kit. Here’s why.

OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G Specs

Ok, so I don’t normal get so obsessed with the phone prior to a review but the Pixel 5 really impressed me. That’s why I’m going to start out with the specs of the OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G and line them up with the Pixel 5.

OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5GGoogle Pixel 5
ConnectivityGSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5GGSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
Phone Size159.6 x 72.5 x 7.6 mm144.7 x 70.4 x 8 mm
Weight172g151g
IP RatingNoneIP68
SIMDual SimNano + eSim
Display Size6.55-inch6-inch
Refresh90Hz90Hz
Resolution1080×2400 pixels1080×2340 pixels
OSColor OS 7.2 based on Android 10Android 11
ChipsetQualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765GQualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G
CPUOcta-core (1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver)Octa-core (1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver)
GPUAdreno 620Adreno 620
Storage128GB128GB
RAM8GB8GB
Main Camera48MP + 13MP + 12MP12.2MP + 16MP
Selfie Camera32MP8MP
Charge PortUSB-CUSB-C
Headphone PortNoneNone
Battery4000 mAh4080 mAh
Wireless ChargingNone12W
Reverse Wireless ChargingNone5W
Fast Charging65W SuperVOOC 2.018W Fast Charge
Price€790 on Three Prepay€618.77 SIM-free from Google

The reason I’m obsessed with this spec comparison is because in your hand, these two phones seem worlds apart.

The Google Pixel 5 and OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G

However, on paper the two are well matched and stand toe-to-toe. Just look at the chipsets, GPU, storage and RAM. It’s literally the same. My reason for emphasising this point is simple. If you’ve not heard of OPPO this is the point you start taking them very seriously. The phones they make are top-of-the-range. With that point made, I want to dig down into these specs a little further.

Battery

I’m going to have to be totally open here and admit it’s become really tough to test battery life. Various kinds of COVID restrictions means massive swings in how much I’m using my phone. I’m never that far away from my charger or sometimes charge when I’m sitting at my desk. You don’t feel the pain poor battery life brings quite as much because we’re all at home all the time. That said, the Pixel 5 battery disappointed me but here is one area the Reno 4 Pro 5G absolutely excelled. Now, the battery isn’t as impressive as the likes of the Huawei P40 Pro which, in my opinion, remains the only current flagship which offers a genuine two-day battery. But I’m going to bed and charging my Reno4 Pro 5G with about 35% power left.

The funny thing is that because of OPPO’s remarkable charging technology the battery capacity really doesn’t even have to be that good.

that’s just madness on par with how long Nokia 3310 batteries lasted

I know, that sounds like a ridiculous thing to say but OPPO’s SuperVOOC 2.0 charging is perhaps the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in a smartphone. This is a 65W fast charger that can shove 60% of charge into your battery, from 0%, in just 15 minutes. This phone’s battery goes from nothing to full in just 36 minutes. I’m sorry but that’s just madness on par with how long Nokia 3310 batteries lasted. It’s a different level of impressive.

One feature missing from the Reno 4 Pro 5G and which I personally do miss is wireless charging. For this price of a smartphone you would expect to get this and it makes the wireless charging alarm clock beside my bed a bit redundant. Apple is making strides to normalise wireless charging and next year may even release a portless smartphone, so while it’s not a big deal right now for many, omitting wireless charging might not be so forgivable in future.

Battery life might be considered mundane by the many so I better move onto something sexier.

Camera

The Reno 4 Pro 5G makes an honest fist of being a great photography phone. While the phone can’t match the likes of Huawei’s Leica-powered cameras, the on-board Sony sensor is impressive. After feeling a little restricted by the lack of optical zoom on the Pixel 5, the Reno 4 Pro 5G did put more options into my hand. I was left missing the power of Google’s Portrait software, though again OPPO’s isn’t’ bad. There were a few shots taken which disappointed. A slight move when shooting with Portrait mode or a selfie being randomly overexposed, but the vast majority of shots were impressive. I would expect this phone to leave most people looking disdainfully at their old phone.

Left: Ultra Wide Angle | Right: 5X Zoom

The funny thing about cameras on smartphones is the fact that different people will have very different take-aways so I’m going to try leaving some of my personal preferences at the door and say the vast majority of people will take pictures with this phone and share them only to be asked what phone they used because they’re excellent.

If you’re into videography, then it appears you’ve discovered what OPPO is chasing down. The Reno 4 Pro 5G is capable of shooting 4K video and can even shoot great video in dark settings thanks to an ultra-wide sensor. There’s also Ultra Steady mode which works on front and rear cameras. This is a nifty little feature if you fancy yourself to be a bit of a vlogger.

Any good smartphone needs to have slo-mo and the OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G nails it. Twitter won’t maintain all the quality here but hopefully it gives you a sense of the phone’s ability.

Operating System

When it comes to the operating system, Color OS is impressive in its own way but this is the older version of OPPO’s own take on Android. Their new operating system is called ColorOS 11, the naming conventions jumping from 7.2 to catch up with Huawei’s EMUI 11. This is one area of the review I was holding everything up for simply because the Pixel 5’s Android 11 is incredible. I can’t wait to see what ColorOS 11 delivers. Unfortunately, while the BETA is rolling out to limited markets, I won’t be getting ColorOS 11 until early in 2021.

When OPPO launched ColorOS 11 they lifted the wraps on a few features to whet the appetite of on lookers. OPPO Relax 2.0 lets users create their own white noise mix while also offering an extensive and immersive collection of sounds from cities around the world. Might be a nice feature for city dwellers who’ve moved home during COVID-19 restrictions. OPPO also teamed up with Google for Three-Finger Translate. This feature captures and translates text through a simple screenshot taken with a three-finger gesture.

There are buckets of other features but I’ve not tested any of them nor do I really see the point of me reviewing ColorOS 7.2 features. What I will say is that using the OPPO phone was just like any other Android phone without any nasty surprises.

Design

The OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G doesn’t reinvent any wheels when it comes to design but it also delivers solid design all-round. The bezels are fairly thin but there is a slight chin and forehead, with the forehead providing a physical speaker instead of the increasingly popular under-screen speaker. There is a slight overflow edge on the screen providing just short of a 90% screen-to-body ratio.

For me, the most important thing here is that design isn’t an area OPPO skimped on to save costs. This is a premium-feeling phone like every other flagship on the market but remember, this phone instead targets the upper-mid tiered smartphone market. Again, like the surprise omission of wireless charging, OPPO has not put this phone through an official IP-rating process. While they claim some waterproofing is in place, the lack of a genuine IP-rating will do little to build confidence in using this phone in the rain, or as I do myself, listening to music in the shower.

It’s Got 5G

One thing that stands out here is the price-tag. When I first discovered OPPO they were a bit like early days Huawei or Xiaomi. Impressive specs but price-tags that really appeal to users. The OPPO Reno 4 5G is pricy at €790 on prepay. It’s still not too cheap on bill pay either. On Eir’s Mobile Essentials plan which costs €40 per month, the phone will set you back €150. That’s not all that cheap for what is essentially an upper-mid tier smartphone. Remember when I was fawning over the Pixel 5? That phone, while it has a smaller screen and less impressive battery life, would set you back just €620 and it would be SIM-free.

The Pixel is a tough comparison because both phones are 5G which means you can’t use the usual excuse of 5G chips costing more. However, that lumbered segue aside, I’m now talking about 5G and here’s an overview of how much 5G phones will set you back these days.

Three – €60pmEir – €60pmVodafone – €60
OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G€49FREEN/A
iPhone 12 5G€249€249€249
Huawei P40 Pro 5GFREE€199€100
Samsung S20 5G€249€299€199
Comparison of 5G Phone Prices In Ireland

Suddenly, if you’re a bill pay shopper with a keen interest in 5G, the OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G starts to make a lot of sense.

OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G: The Verdict

The OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G is a great piece of kit. Now, being honest, it’s not the mind-blowing phone that solve every problem imaginable. If you want the best camera, then pick up a Huawei. If you want simplicity, iPhone is probably still the best choice for you. Want a pure Android experience, the Google Pixel 5 is the phone for you.

But if you want a phone which gives you a well-rounded experience and 5G at a reasonable price compared to its competitors, then the OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G does have some unique pulls. While it’s a tad pricey and not even OPPO’s lead flagship smartphone (which isn’t available in Ireland), few will be left with buyers remorse here.

The OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G and the wider Reno 4 series along with the OPPO A53 are now available from Three and Eir.

Dirt 5 Review: Lots Of Mucky Fun

Marty
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Dirt 5 Review: Lots Of Mucky Fun

You learn a lot about a racing game when you’re halfway through the first corner. With F1 2020 it was realising I didn’t get the tyres warm enough while the other AI cars stuck to the racing line and braking points significantly better than I did. Forza was something similar and you know what, it makes sense when you understand that “car games” is really the umbrella term for a wider gaming niche. Dig deeper one more layer and you’ll find “racing sims” and “racing games”. While F1 2020 and Forza fall into racing sims the new Dirt 5 title from Codemaster is absolutely a racing game.

Dirt 5: The First Corner

Dirt 5 is, rather deceptively, the eighth game in the Dirt series. It all started back in 2007 with the late great Colin McRae lending his name to the first Dirt game. The name McRae means everything when it comes to rally and rally gaming and knowing well that the lineage of Dirt 5 was founded alongside the legend of McRae, my expections were coloured fairly heavily. While I do understand where the game has come from, I’ve not played many of the Dirt series except for a few which were available on Xbox Game Pass and even at that, I dipped in and out as you do when you get free access to a game.

Ultimately, I thought I was about to step into a rally simulator. So much so, in fact, I was about to get out my Thrustmaster Racing Wheel and frame to go the whole hog. Now, I probably still will because that will 100% improve the craic but my point is that Dirt 5 absolutely is not a simulator. As I said, you learn a lot about a racing game halfway through the first corner and what that first corner in Dirt 5 taught me was I shouldn’t have braked.

In trying to attain the perfect controlled drift all my competitors drove off into the distance. I immediately got Tony Hawk vibes from the game. I wasn’t here to carefully drift my driver’s tyre over crests, I was here to gun it and never stop gunning it. A couple of races in and I’m going full Dukes of Hazzard over a canyon. Dirt 5 is not a simulator, it’s a game with a touch of arcade.

Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?

Sorry, I’ve been playing excessive amounts of Lets Sing Queen Edition and it’s starting to influence everything.

I don’t want to take from Dirt 5 here either. As the game loads, you’ll see that there’s plenty of real automotive manufacturers who are properly licensed. Ten minutes into the game and I was a giddy kid buy my number two dream car, the Ford Escort Cosworth (number one was the Ford Capri which I bought in Forza). This isn’t total fantasy like you get with the racing modes of GTA 5 Online. It does borrow some of the madness that comes with not taking yourself too seriously but Dirt 5 doesn’t lose touch with reality either. Forza Horizon does that with loads of fake NPCs and a beach party-like atmosphere. There’s not of that here. When you place in the top three, it’s your car on the podium taking the plaudits. Because it’s you and the car, no-nonsense. Well, no excessive nonsense.

Dirt 5 Gamemodes

Dirt 5 doesn’t reinvent the wheel here. Your gamemodes are pretty expected. You get:

  • Career
  • Online
  • Arcade
  • Playgrounds

Career brings you through a series of races spanning Ultra Cross, Rally Raid, Land Rush and Stampede modes. There are some more unlocked later too but I didn’t get that far into the review. From the races I’ve raced all I can really say is that I drove them all with a smile on my face. At least I did after I realised braking points wasn’t something to worry myself about. What you will bother yourself with is trying to drift and overtake at the same time. Damn, it seems much easier than it is.

Online lets you pair up with friends or strangers in either races or party games. Races are races but party games is more along the lines of Rocket League. What online did make me realise is that while there’s plenty here because of different modes, each mode itself is a little on the light side with not much to sink your teeth into. While there’s buckets of fun to be had, there’s just a little innovation lacking.

Again, nothing too mad with arcade but then we get to Playgrounds. Playgrounds unlocked some serious nostalgia for me. It reminded me of when Tony Hawk Pro Skater introduced the park building feature or when Stuntman games let you build your own stunts. I played around in here for quite some time trying to achieve the impossible jumps in a Skoda.

Dirt 5: The Verdict

What did you come here for? If you’re thinking of buying this game you really only have to ask yourself one question. Do you like a bit of craic and drifting the tyres off some cars. If the answer is yes, Dirt 5 is for you. While they’ve not really injected anything insanely innovative here, they’ve made a joyful mucky romp of a game. If it’s a sim you’re after and you miss the navigating voice of Nicky Grist, well maybe there’s something else out there for you in the land of the sims.

Black Friday 2020: The Deals Start Earlier Than Ever

Marty
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Black Friday 2020: The Deals Start Earlier Than Ever

You know what? It’s been that kind of a year. Normally, I’d be giving out about the Christmas trees going up the morning after Halloween but screw it. Go on and enjoy yourselves. Leave it up until the middle of March if you want an all. 2020 has been proof that time is just a construct we all agree to live within so let’s break all the rules. One thing that’s appearing nice and early this year is the Black Friday sales. It’s welcome news for people who have lost jobs, lost wages or maybe even just need a little treat. Here’s our guide to shopping during Ireland’s Black Friday sales in 2020.

What Is Black Friday?

There are a few yarns going around as to where the term “Black Friday” came from. One of the nicest ideas is that retailers make so much money from dropping prices during this period that their sales reports go from being “in the red” to being “in the black”. Alas, that’s absolutely not true. Black Friday sales often see retailers trading at a loss. Retailers see record numbers of returns from people who panic buy and other retailers refuse to partake in the sales promotion at all.

The real origins of “Black Friday” go back to 1869 when two investors played the markets and drove the price of gold so high it caused a crash. Foreign trade stopped and farmers suffered from a 50% drop in their crop values. In more recent times, the term “Black Friday” was used to describe a thanksgiving day game of American football which was followed by large droves of people going shopping afterward.

Come the late eighties “Black Friday” simply referred to the last day of November where shoppers sought bargains and retailers fought for their attention and money. Today, it’s the biggest shopping day of the year even though personally, I don’t remember hearing much about it for most of my own life. In fact, if you look at the Google Trends data you can see steady growth since the turn of the 21st century.

That’s just looking at data from the US. Looking at Ireland shows an even later rise in public interest for “Black Friday”.

I’m not sure if it’s the case for America or not, but in Ireland the last day of November isn’t the only day we’re seeking out bargains. “Black Friday” has in fact turned into a month-long sales event for many retailers, but with a global pandemic taking place, will there even be a Black Friday sale this year?

Will There Be A Black Friday Sale In 2020?

In 2020, not even a global pandemic can see the public interest in Black Friday quietened. In fact, given the year people have had it could be the busiest yet with the bigger difference being a shift towards buying online instead of visiting stores. Some retailers have already appeared with their Black Friday offerings and I’ll run through those a little later.

Is Black Friday Dangerous?

This really comes down to what do you mean by “dangerous”. You could joke and say the furore is “dangerous”. As in, I bought a drill on Black Friday that I didn’t use for a year. Physically, Black Friday can be very dangerous. I normal times, people have been injured or gotten into brawls in stores during stampedes to grab bargains. This year shopping in person would bring a new danger because of the COVID-19 pandemic though most retailers in Ireland will be very limited in how they can sell during this period. Then there’s the retailers themselves.

Black Friday sales have divided retailers in the past. Many look through rose tinted glasses and believe the sales event is a god send for retailers but the truth is that it’s a race to the bottom. Customers aren’t generally spending more but instead shifting their Christmas shopping spend from December to November and retailers, in a race to meet sales expectations, are killing their own margins. Getting the balance wrong between sales and profits poses a unique danger to retailers too.

To a certain extent, as a shopper, this isn’t your problem. I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over nabbing a bargain online this year if you spot it. What I would recommend is, where possible, shop local and support your local businesses. All you can do is trust that your local retailers are selling at a price which will keep them afloat.

2020 Black Friday Sales In Ireland

And not we get to the actual bargains to be had in the 2020 Black Friday sales in Ireland. I’ve done some research to find the below but if you are or know of an Irish retailer I’ve missed then drop me a DM on Twitter and I’ll add more retailers as we go.

Harvey Norman Black Friday Sale

Every year without fail, Harvey Norman swaps their website over to the dark vibes of that Black Friday sale. The exciting thing about the Harvey Norman sale is the simple fact they have so much cool stuff. Right now, Harvey Norman is in Christmas mode. This is another trend of 2020 where Christmas shopping has been pulled dramatically forward due to the pandemic. People are shopping earlier than ever because of shortages in fund and fear that stores will close completely.

One thing that Harvey Norman does which I absolutely despise is engendering gifts. I’ll admit we used to do this with our Christmas guide a few years back but it really is ridiculous. Basically, Harvey Norman is categorising gift ideas into groups like “Gifts for Him” and “Gifts for Her“. In their defense, people do search like this and their gifts are somewhat neutral. At the same time, they do classify the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer as a “Gift for Her” which I personally would love.

Anyway, you can browse their Christmas section right now and it looks like their Black Friday pages are just place holder for now. Even though they are lovely wine glasses.

Black Friday At D.I.D Electrical

D.I.D’s sale is underway and promises up to 70% off appliances, TV’s, laptops, tablets, audio, smart home and more. Like Harvey Norman, D.I.D’s website is currently showing the signs of Christmas more than anything else with Black Friday pages seemingly more place holder than anything else.

There are some deals to be found on their Weekly Deals pages. D.I.D rather frustratingly also has sections dedicated to “Gifts for Him” and “Gifts for Her”. I have a pro shopping tip for all our readers out there who are shopping for a “Gift for Her”. A 1.6-litre Soup Maker isn’t always the worst choice. But it nearly always is. I’ll come to D.I.D’s defense here and hold them up as a hero of equality as they’ve also included this simply awful gift idea in the “Gifts for Him” section too.

Don’t let my jibes and jokes get in the way. D.I.D does have some great deals to splurge on so take a look.

Boots Black Friday Deals

Boots loves a good sales event and Black Friday of 2020 seems to be no different. I believe that has a pharmacy Boots will be completely open like normal and offering buckets of deals on a range of products. You can check them out already and if you need an electric toothbrush, Boots might be the very place to get one.

Virgin Media Black Friday Deals

Starting this Thursday, November 12 until November 30, customers signing up to a new TV and broadband bundle will get themselves a free Philips TAPB400 Bluetooth Sound Bar with Google assistant which would usually set you back €179.

Virgin Mobile is also going on offer with a 6-month offer on Unlimited Mobile for just €5 a month. It rises to €25 a month thereafter. Be sure to check out how that stacks up versus the rest of the market as things are getting pretty competitive out there.

Amazon’s Irish Black Friday Deals

Right, so I get that some people are literally feeling a kind of shame when the courier outside your gaff hands you the box for an Amazon order. I’ve said it numerous times than if you can please shop local. But also shop sensible. Check Amazon.co.uk when you’re shopping online this year because you could save a fortune and spend your savings with Irish retailers. You can support local business while also looking after your own wallet you know.

Amazon.co.uk is looking at Ireland very differently lately. Their Black Friday sale ad on TV used an Irish voice-over artist, at least for the Irish market. Amazon has opened a Dublin distribution centre and confirmed to Goosed.ie that this isn’t a test but instead is part of a long-term strategy to expand in Ireland.

Amazon stocks nearly everything imaginable and they’ll be running one of the longest Black Friday sales you’ll find.

Araya Beauty

I hear you. What’s this got to do with tech? Well, I used to work in an office that had Araya and her team regularly come in for back rubs. I call them back rubs but really it felt like a back realignment and it was the most amazing stress relief you could have during your workday. As many of us work from home and are slowly getting home offices put together, I bet there’s plenty of you feeling like you could do with a back massage. And just like that, I’ve made this Black Friday deal super relevant!

Araya’s Leopardstown-based beauty salon specialises in lots of stuff like micro-blading and eyelash extensions, but like I said it’s all about the traditional massage treatments for me.

You can imagine that businesses like this have had a tough time of it and this is one I can give a first-hand recommendation for as being deserving of your support. To give something back to their clients while the salon is closed throughout the pandemic, the Araya Beauty crew are offering 15% extra free on top of all gift card purchases between now and Friday, November 27th.

When you think about it, this is a perfect Christmas gift idea. Buy someone a massage. Buy yourself a massage!

Active Iron

Kind of similar to Araya Beauty, this isn’t something you’d often find on a tech site. Active Iron are an Irish-owned supplement company that offer a number of products such as their easily absorbed Iron Supplement, B Vitamin Complex, Pregnancy Range and Immune Supplements. Two things why I’m recommending these guys.

  1. They’re Irish-owned
  2. We should all give energy levels and health a thought

Active Iron’s Black Friday Special is buy one get one month free on all products across their website. You just need to add the code AIMONDAY when going through the checkout and they’ll add an extra month’s supply to your order for free!

Campsited

Uncertainty remains, but with news of vaccines and general hope, some of you might be plotting what lies down the road. Irish-based European camping booking specialists Campsited are offering up to 72% off their French camping holidays starting today with special offers and discounts running right through to Summer 2021.

Book your stay at top campsites throughout Vendée, Provence, Bretagne and the whole of France and save when you book online.

Smyths Toys Superstores

Smyths was getting queues in early this year but if you can shop safely online this year and save a few bob, why not go for it. The popular retailer has offers on a huge range of toys, from L.O.L. Surprise! dolls to Marvel action figures though it is unlikely the elusive Playstation 5 will appear this side of Christmas.

The Smyths Black Friday special offers include action figures and dolls, arts and crafts, fun-filled playsets and more. Shop preschool toys for tots, gadgets for gamers and everything in between. As Smyths will be rammed from the day stores re-open till Christmas, now’s your chance to get in online ahead of the rush and find the perfect gifts.

Rashr

This is the kind of thing I love. I’ve reviewed some sustainable masks already and some super comfy masks too. Rashr is on a mission to reclaim our oceans by removing as much plastic waste as we can and recycling it into something new. In response to COVID-19, they’re producing face masks made out of recycled ocean plastic. The face masks come in adult and children’s sizes with a range of ocean themes.

Rashr’s Black Friday deal is sitewide with 20% off all masks and activewear. Use the discount code Rashr20 at checkout to receive 20% off your purchase.

The Sweater Shop

If I had to find a tech tangent here it would be the amazing story of how Paddy Cosgrave thought the prices of his Web Summit jumpers were in any way justified. The Sweater Shop is another great gift idea coming into Christmas or a nice treat for yourself. Nothing beats working from home in cosy clothes as my new sweatpant collection suggests.

The Sweater Shop is offering up to 50% off across selected stock on their website, including premium-quality Irish Fisherman Jumpers, Cardigans, Aran Knitwear and generally perfect gifts from Ireland at a great price. Buying Irish is pretty popular too right now so this is win-win.

Apps And Services On Sales For Black Friday

There’s more to Black Friday than getting physically items shipping to your gaff. Plenty of online services will offer massive discounts on annual memberships. I’m still waiting to see who drops their price but here are some of the online services I’d be keeping a particularly close eye on:

  • 1Password: Whether it’s mobile or a new laptop, this is the first thing I install
  • Babel: Want to learn a language? This is the kind of subscription that goes cheap on Black Friday
  • Blinkist: Consume entire books in 15 minute audio shorts
  • Grammarly: This is usually the second or third thing I install on laptops because it stops me sounding like a two year old
  • LastPass: I used to use this but now opt for 1Password
  • VPN: NordVPN, Windscribe et al. There’s countless VPNs out there and I’m sure there’s going to be loads on sale this Black Friday

Here are some that I’ve confirmed already.

Bitdefender

Protect your laptops, mobiles and tablets from viruses and malware with Bitdefender. This software will also let you track stolen or lost devices. I’ve been personally using this for a few months now and I love it. It’s among the first apps I install on new machines.

I’m going to keep an eye on things appearing over the coming weeks and update this article. When it’s particularly juicy I’ll hit the push notification so if you’re into the offers and the shopping hit that little bell button on the bottom right of the page.

Express VPN

Between hiding your online behaviour and accessing geo-restricted content, having a VPN is always handy. It’s even better if you grab it during Black Friday at a great price. Express VPN is offering 49% off their service when you buy

Black Friday: Frequently Asked Questions

When is Black Friday 2020?

Black Friday 2020 will fall on Friday 27 November.

Is Black Friday 2020 cancelled?

While lots of events have been cancelled by COVID-19 nothing can stop Black Friday. In fact, if you look around online you’ll already find retailers selling with massive discounts. The big change this year will be online shopping taking over from physical retail.

Does Ireland have Black Friday?

While Black Friday started out in America today it’s truly global. Using Google Trends data we can see that Black Friday has grown massively in popularity in Ireland since 2014 and continues to do so.

When will Black Friday sales start?

Once upon a time, the answer was 9am on the last Friday of November. Then midnight openings started and retailers started to creep earlier and earlier with their Black Friday sales. Today, the Black Friday sale can start as early as November 1st.

What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is the Monday which immediately follows Black Friday. With many couriers not shipping on Fridays, retailers use their online channels to clear through excess stock which they couldn’t shift on Black Friday. Because shipping returns to normal on Mondays, retailers tend to reduce products even further and sell them off on Cyber Monday.

Should I wait for Cyber Monday?

It’s impossible to know. Some really popular items won’t last that long and when they come back into stock they could be full price again. The best thing to do is ask yourself what you’re willing to pay for something instead of constantly chasing the cheapest price.

Is it okay to shop with Amazon?

Yes, of course it is ok to shop with Amazon. With COVID-19 we do encourage you to shop local and if you do shop online try to shop with local Irish websites. If you can’t find what you’re looking for it’s always ok to turn to Amazon.co.uk.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Everything We Know

Dean
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Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Everything We Know

In what has been a hectic year, November is finally upon us, meaning Christmas is right around the corner. But for the gaming community, November is their Christmas as it is the month when the most anticipated games of the year are usually released. Last year, Activision released arguably their best Call of Duty game to date, the re-release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. This year, it looks to make an even bigger release, with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. It will be the sixth Black Ops instalment and the seventeenth instalment in the overall COD franchise.

When is COD: Black Ops Cold War out?

The most pressing question of all. Cold War will be released on November 13.

What will the campaign be?

In this years release, we are taken back to the early 1980’s. President Ronald Reagan has received intel of a secret Soviet spy, Perseus, who’s mission is to try and tilt the balance of power in the Soviet Union’s favour. In response, Reagan launches a counter mission in order to stop Perseus.

Some of the new locations where the gameplay takes place includes Berlin, Vietnam and Turkey. There will also be multiple endings to the campaign based on decisions made by the player throughout the game.

What’s the craic with Multiplayer?

On 8 October, Treyarch released a beta version of the multiplayer for players who pre-ordered Black Ops Cold War. Having played it myself, we were able to play in some of the new maps available. Some locations were based on Miami Beach, a desert in Angola and the North Atlantic. The maps vary from small and compact to large open spaces where you can also use vehicles.

Now, let’s talk game modes. Of course, we’ll be seeing the return of the usual Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, Free-for-All, Kill Confirmed, and Search & Destroy. Those who remember Black Ops 4 will be glad to see the return of Control. Some of the new game modes coming are VIP Escord, Combined Arms and Fireteams and Treyarch also announced that they will be adding plenty of other game modes in seasons post launch.

For the first time in multiplayer, we will also be getting a new ping system, which was initially introduced in Warzone. Ping systems allow players to point out enemies, weapons, vehicles and locations where enemies have been, such as an open door in a house. The ping system will be a very big upgrade in multiplayer and will create more team based gameplay within the different game modes.

Is Zombies coming back?

Yes! Zombies is back. One of the most popular game modes in the COD franchise. Black Ops Cold War Zombies introduces players to a new game mode: Dark Aether.

“Everything that happened in the Aether Story actually happened. At the end of Black Ops 4, our heroes – in their various incarnations – sacrificed themselves in order to collapse the multiverse and banish the evil they bravely fought to the Dark Aether. They hoped their actions would create a new world… a singular reality. One free from the forces of darkness that had plagued their existence.

They were half right.” – Craig Houston, Lead Writer

The first episode of Dark Aether is called “Die Maschine” (pronounced dee mah-sheen-eh). The story goes that, following the discovery of a WWII experiment called “Projekt Endstation”, a new arms race threatens the world as each side attempt to harness the power at the heart of the experiment. Going back to classic Zombies, players will have to fight off waves of the undead in a round based survival game mode. If that hasn’t got you licking your lips, take a look at the trailer below.

Will Warzone be integrated?

Treyarch have confirmed that they will be implementing gameplay between Black Ops Cold War and Warzone in December. However, details of how it will be integrated and what changes will be made to Warzone have yet to be revealed.

Is there a trailer for Black Ops Cold War?

Hell yeah there is!

What consoles will Black Ops Cold War be available on?

Black Ops Cold War will be available to buy on the Xbox One, PS4 along with the new PS5 and Xbox Series X. Both of these new consoles are also backwards compatible, so if you buy it on the Xbox One of PS4 and buy one of the newer consoles down the line, you won’t have to buy it again.

Revolut Is Down For Android Users: Online Bank Confirms Outages

Marty
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0
Revolut Is Down For Android Users: Online Bank Confirms Outages

Revolut has become to be one of Ireland’s fastest growing digital services. The online-only bank has over one million user in Ireland and continues to grow its user base and features. However, last night the company confirmed an issue for Android users where accessing the app was impossible.

Revolut Outage

It’s not clear why exactly the app stopped working for Android users but it may be related to a release within the app which introduced a Halloween greeting on the log in page.

The issue didn’t impact card payments but you may still be experiencing issues in accessing the app.

Fixing The Revolut Issue

Revolut confirmed the issue and within 24-hours had also confirmed the issue was resolved. During this time I shifted my usage to my iPad confirming it was an isolated Android issue. To resolve the issue for yourself, you will need to update the Revolut app by visiting the Google Play Store.

Flying Elephant Desk: An Irish-made Work From Home Desk

Marty
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0
Flying Elephant Desk: An Irish-made Work From Home Desk

Every now and then I stop and assess just how bonkers a year it has been. I’ve laughed every time that I’ve seen the meme doing the rounds about corporate change and who drove it. Was it your CEO, COO or COVID-19? It’s a joke, but it’s also really not. For years company decision makers have refused to adopt working from home for an array of reasons but in 2020 they’ve had no choice. Now, a huge number of office-based workers are working from home offices, bedrooms, kitchen tables and even couches. If you’re one of these people and you need a desk, there’s an Irish company which have the perfect work from home desk for you.

The Flying Elephant Work From Home Desk

Every cloud has a silver lining. There’s not doubting how horrible and tragic COVID-19 has been for everyone but it has brought with it unique changes to our lives. With this unique changes comes unique opportunities for new business. Flying Elephant pounced on that opportunity by quickly promoting their work from home desk.

The team kindly sent one over to me to check out. I was blown away by how such a nice desk to work at could be created and shipped so quickly before being assembled even quicker.

The desk comes in just four parts and there’s no tools required to assemble it. It’s all precision cut timber that simply slots together. You can get either plain wood or laminate finish, I personally love the plain wood.

Prior to this desk landing I was working at an IKEA dinner table. Specifically it’s one with folding table surfaces which means it was actually quite irritating to work at because it would squeak and rattle a lot. The Flying Elephant desk is solid as a rock and offers a generous work space too. If you’re slightly longer legged, the mid-beam might get in the way but if that’s the case, it’s worth contacting the company as they do some custom work too.

In the coming weeks and months, you can likely expect companies to start providing working from home funds if they don’t already. So whether you’re spending your own money or money your company has allotted for you to set up at home, this work from home desk by Flying Elephant is great. It’ll set you back €149 and you’ll get it next day in Dublin, within five days around the rest of Ireland or within six days in Europe.

That price is a little spicy for what some will consider a short term use desk. But for me, this desk is a more permanent solution with the big benefit being that it can be taken apart easily and stored while not in use.

If you head on over to the Flying Elephant website you can even use augmented reality to view what this work from home desk might look like in your gaff.

Viewing the Flying Elephant desk in AR

The Extended Flying Elephant Range

Coming into Christmas there’s a wide range of new products The Flying Elephant has added to their online shop. These are some cracking ideas in there too. We’ve decided a Christmas tree probably isn’t going to work in the apartment this year given there’s two of us working here but maybe Flying Elephant as the perfect solution in a reusable laser-cut timber tree.

There’s loads of other beautifully manufacturer and guaranteed Irish product on their website. Worth a look if you’re doing the Christmas shopping early.

The Speed Trap: Are Retailers Informing Consumers Enough About Electric Scooters

Marty
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0
The Speed Trap: Are Retailers Informing Consumers Enough About Electric Scooters

Electric scooters are more in demand than ever before. With people looking for public transport alternatives, the electric scooter has risen to the surface as a popular solution for commuting. Unfortunately, they are not a road-legal solution but are retailers doing enough to inform consumers of this fact?

Surge In Electric Scooter Popularity

People don’t much like the idea of being stuck in a bus or LUAS with countless others. To be totally honest, this pre-dates COVID-19. I was using an electric scooter to get to the office before working from home was a thing. Every Monday I’d have a smile on my face, flying past rows of drivers who thought it was wise driving into Europe’s most congested cities.

Dublin City was crying out for a mode of transport like the electric scooter so it’s no surprise that people are turning to them in their droves. Halfords, who claim to be Ireland’s biggest e-scooter retailer, has seen a 700% surge of sales across their 24 Irish stores.

Matt Banks, Halfords e-mobility expert says that “the big rise in consumer demand for e-scooters means there should be new laws in place to regulate their use and let everyone enjoy the benefits they can bring. The safe use of e-scooters has the potential to revolutionise the way we travel and can help address pollution and congestion problems”.

Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has confirmed that those laws are coming, with work started and the laws expected to be in place for 2021. However he also clarified that until the laws are updated, electric scooters remain illegal to use on Irish roads. But are retailers doing enough to inform consumers of this?

Caveat Emptor

I called a Dublin Halfords store to see what their approach was. When the assistant answered the phone I said “I’m looking for buy a scooter for commuting in Dublin City Centre, do you have any in stock”. The staff member who answered was really nice and friendly, informing me which items were in stock and that I could order online for store collection.

At no time during the call, however, was it highlighted to me that to commute on an electric scooter in Dublin City centre would be illegal. Now of course, Halfords aren’t legally required to inform me at all. Electric scooters are not illegal. It’s their use on public roads and bike lanes which is illegal.

I asked Halfords if they inform customers about the illegality of electric scooter on public roads and was told the retailer makes “it clear online, on pricing tickets and in shops that e-scooters are not to be ridden on public roads and only on private property”.

I went to the Halfords website. It didn’t take me long to find an electric scooter as it’s on their homepage in a section called “Top Trending Near You”. It’s the Xiaomi m365 electric scooter, the same scooter I myself own which has been locked up since the start of the year.

The Halfords website does indeed state “Please note that this scooter is not to be used on public highways, only on private property with the owner’s consent”. However it’s quite far down the page on desktop and on a mobile device it takes nearly a minute of scrolling to find. In addition, above the message is other content like “make journeys effortless” and an electric scooter buyer’s guide which fails to mention the legality issues at all.

What Other Retailers Say

Halfords is not alone here. I Googled “electric scooters Ireland” and checked what other retailers were doing.

Urban Movement, who are paying to advertise when people search for related terms, have a range of scooters but their product pages do not mention scooters are illegal on public roads. Nor is it mentioned on their “About Us” page.

To show just how much money is to be made from selling electric scooters right now, another popular result in Google is The Camera Centre in Dublin. Here there is no mention of the fact it’s illegal to use electric scooters in public spaces.

Lifty.co is another dedicated scooter retailer. Their site has inconsistent messaging. Some product pages mention that you shouldn’t ride electric scooters on public roads while others omit this. They do, however have a message at the bottom of their website on every page which states “electric scooters are not to be used on footpaths, cycle lanes or roads. It is the complete responsibility of the customer to ensure that you operate your e-scooter within all country and local laws”.

Fish In A Barrel

All of this isn’t just a grumpy tech reviewer at his laptop giving out. While I believe consumers should be doing their research, retailers should also be looking out for their customers, even if they are not required to by law.

Statistics recently revealed that An Garda Siochana have seized more electric scooter riders between July and October than they did in the first six months of the year.

With COVID-19, people have turned their back on public transport and have sought options like e-bikes and electric scooters.

E-bikes are perfectly legal but electric scooters are not and right now it’s like shooting fish in a barrel for the Gardai. The result for the consumer can be severe. One electric scooter rider received five penalty points on his driving license and a €300 fine. While it’s been a tough year for retailers, it’s not fair that consumers should be put at risk.

I’m obviously a massive supporter of electric scooters. They can reduce congestion and pollution in our cities and frankly I think it’s ridiculous that they’re not road legal yet. However, coming into a busy Christmas period the electric scooter is being regarded by consumers and retailers alike as the “must have” gift this year. Just check out this Google Trends data which shows steady increase over the past twelve months.

Electric scooter interest in Ireland

Hopefully, electric scooters are legalised in the near future but until then, here’s hoping retailers make more of an effort to inform consumers. To be fair, there’s no requirement on retailers to inform consumers. They’re not legally required at all but it does feel a little like shoppers are getting caught in the crossfire here.

Huawei FreeBuds Studio Review: The ANC Christmas Challenger

Marty
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0
Huawei FreeBuds Studio Review: The ANC Christmas Challenger

How do I open this review? Do I go with the “saturated headphone market” approach? Maybe it’s more of a “Huawei plugging the gaps in the consumer market” because of the whole Trump and China thing? What ever way I open it, was really matters here is that Huawei has produced a pair of over-ear headphones and given the incredible accessories they’ve made to date, like the FreeBuds Pro earbuds, these deserve full attention. Here’s my review of the unusually named Huawei FreeBuds Studio.

Buds? They’re Called FreeBuds?

When these landed in for review I stopped and kind of stared at the box for a few seconds. Yes, these headphones are indeed called the FreeBuds Studio. It’s a bizarre choice considering they’re in no way buds. I can only assume that Huawei is trying to build out the entire audio arm of their accessory range to sit under FreeBuds.

Huawei FreeBuds Studio Review

I wanted to get that out of the way good and early. Yes, unusual name but now let’s get on with the meaty bit. The review.

FreeBuds Studio Design

The Huawei FreeBuds Studio sound awesome, ok? But I’ve got to start with the design of this pair of headphones. They’re gorgeous. I mean, they are genuinely striking. I’ve been testing a lot of headphones lately, including the rather impressive JBL Club One headphones. While many of these headphones have great sound, none have left me appreciating their design like the FreeBuds Studio.

FreeBuds studio design
The FreeBuds Studio look and feel great, including a protein-based faux-leather.

Weight

As soon as I took them out of the box, I loved how light this new pair of over-ears felt. At just 260g, you immediately know you could wear these headphones for hours without them weighing your head down. While that’s a little heavier than my beloved Bose QC35 II headphones it’s a world apart from the heavier JBL Club One.

Protein Leather

While the weight is important, comfort in headphones is dictated by many factors. Keeping with Huawei’s shift towards sustainable leather alternatives, the FreeBuds Studio headphones use protein leather on the ear cups and headband. Both are generously padded meaning, combined with the headphones weight, these are incredibly comfy.

The cups are connected to the headband with premium feeling stainless steel. The result is not just comfort but secure headphones which don’t move around too much. This also adds to the noise cancelling experience, but more on that later.

Buttons

Some of the controls are fairly obvious. On the left headphone you get the Active Noise Cancelling control button (ANC). On the right you’ll find power, Bluetooth and the USB-C port. What’s less obvious is that the right headphone also has a touch interface. Usually I hate these with a passion but the FreeBuds Studio gesture controls aren’t that bad. This is down to the ensure headphone surface being the control area.

  • Swipe Up – Volume Up
  • Swipe Down – Volume Down
  • Swipe Left – Previous Track
  • Swipe Right – Next Track
  • Double Tap – Play/Pause
  • Press and Hold – Launch Smart Assistant

All of these, including rather surprisingly the smart assistant, work really well. Touch accuracy is high, so maybe, just maybe, gesture controls could win me back over.

There is one thing I’ll call out here which will be a deal-breaker for some and a mere footnote for others. There’s no wired connection option. On the headphones there’s not 3.5mm connection and no additional connectors in the box. This is a wireless only job.

Colours

The last thing to touch on is the colours you can pick up the FreeBuds Studio. The shell of the headphones isn’t massively premium. However that’s made up for with the gorgeous soft protein leather, stainless steel band and lovely colours. You can pick up the FreeBuds Studio in Black and Rose Gold.

Gold Huawei headphones
The Gold FreeBuds Studio are gorgeous even though it’s not a colour I thought I’d have liked myself.

Right, so design-wise these are nearly faultless. I don’t think I’m too surprised by that given Huawei has always had a massive focus on aesthetics and that premium vibe. But for all the looks in the world, can Huawei product a genuinely great pair of headphones to compete with the very best?

FreeBuds Studio Sound Quality

When I first trialed the FreeBuds Studio I thought they were quiet. My mistake was not reading the manual and realising I could increase the volume using gesture controls on the headphones themselves. So watch out for that.

Once I worked out how to use technology, embarrassing as that was for me, I was blown away by the level of sound quality the FreeBuds Studio delivered. Now, I won’t lie. They’re not mind blowing but I think that’s down to the fact I test so many headphones. They are, however, as good, if not better than, some of my favourite headphones across a range of sound specs.

Output

The overall sound experience is crisp and generally brilliant. The built in drivers provide a surprisingly sharp sound across treble, mids and bass with little bleed. I’ve been testing some podcasts, jazz and metal, Slipknot as the latter with the headphones delivering in every single category.

Active Noise Cancelling

Huawei has been toying with ANC over the past few years. The FreeBuds 3 were a little lack lustre on this particular spec but the ambition was not to be sniffed at. The FreeBuds Pro nailed it and left me a bit shook at how good ANC could be in a fair of buds, let alone a pair of buds by a company not traditionally considered to be an audio specialist.

It seems rather fitting that the FreeBuds Studio pull together several elements to make a truly remarkable pair of ANC headphones. I’ve mentioned in a few reviews that my new standardised test no longer requires flying. Instead, my trusty fan extractor in the kitchen is the test. To my utter shock, the FreeBuds Studio takes it to the Bose QC35 II headphones for noise cancelling.

Now, hearing being such a subjective thing is an important note to make. I’ve always considered the Bose to be the best ANC headphones on the market while others say the same of the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. I guess what I’m really saying is that there may be small gaps between the top-of-the-range ANC headphones but the FreeBuds Studio are sitting amongst the very top level headphones on the market.

Making Calls

Wireless headphones over the years have come on leaps and bounds when it comes to making and taking calls. The Huawei FreeBuds 3 packed in so much technology to ensure call clarity that I now actually consider this to be a crucial part of good headphones.

Sure enough, the FreeBuds Studio maintain expectations for call quality in quiet scenarios. The quality does take a drop when calling in noisy, or particularly windy scenarios. This was a particular strength of the Huawei FreeBuds range until now but the over-ear form factor does mean new and unique design challenges for Huawei.

Other FreeBuds Studio Notes

Right, so that’s the bulk of this headphone review done and dusted but there are some other thing worth noting.

Multi-device Connections

One feature I adore is multi-device connections. This is great when working from home and despite everything what Huawei has been going through, this remains completely operating system agnostic.

This feature means you can connect your headphones to your Windows laptop and iPhone. While working away on your laptop, you can listen to Spotify but as soon as you get a call your headphones will cleverly switch to the phone.

Smart Assistant Support

Huawei has begun rolling out and testing its own smart assistant called Celia. It’s very early stage and unfortunately resembles the ability of Samsung’s Bixby at the moment. This means that, for me at least, there are really still only two smart assistants battling it out for my favour:

  • Google Assistant
  • Amazon Alexa

The cool thing here is that the Huawei FreeBuds Studio can still activate and control this assistants. All you have to do is long press the right headphone.

Battery Life

This element of the test is on-going but I’m happy enough to give you an early opinion. Particularly considering the lightweight nature of these headphones, the battery life is remarkable. I’ve been using them for ages already and the battery is depleting really slowly.

Huawei advertise that the FreeBuds Studio are expected to deliver 20 hours of ANC listening or 24 hours with ANC disabled. The key call out being there’s very few flights you’d be caught short of battery life with these. Even if you did get a chance to charge for just ten minutes, you’d buy yourself another 8 hours with a full charge being achieved in 60 minutes.

Huawei FreeBuds Studio: The Verdict

I’m very conscious that Huawei sends me a lot of gear to review and that it’s nearly always a positive conclusion I reach. I’m actually on the look out for negatives more than ever to try and strike some balance here. Unfortunately, the FreeBuds Studio aren’t helping.

The Huawei FreeBuds Studio are great regardless of being Huawei’s first attempt at mass-producing ANC over-ear headphones.

These headphones are almost perfect and frankly, for a brand traditionally associated with smartphones and modems, Huawei’s seamless transition into the audio space will surely frighten the likes of Bose, Sennheiser and Sony.

The FreeBuds Studio are comfortable, easy to use and all while delivering a fantastic audio experience. There is absolutely no reason why these shouldn’t be considered at the very top of the list when it comes to ANC over-ear headphones. At €299, Huawei might very well be able to sneak in and land grab some share of the headphone market this Christmas.

The FreeBuds Studio will be available in selection Vodafone stores around Ireland from November 6th.

Amazon Begins Shipping From Irish Distribution Centre

Marty
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0
Amazon Begins Shipping From Irish Distribution Centre

Update: Amazon will open a second distribution centre this year and a fully operational fulfilment centre in Spring 2022. Read more.

The shopping experience on Amazon.co.uk for people in Ireland has been mixed over the years. To be fair to Amazon, they’ve always been incredible from a customer care point of view even if their treatment of staff globally has been at least questionable. For shoppers, in the back of your mind is always that you’re shopping with a UK website which sits funny both from a local economy and returns point of view. But I’ve noticed something in the past few days. Amazon has started to ship from a Dublin distribution centre.

Shopping On Amazon In Ireland Over The Years

Shopping on Amazon.co.uk isn’t a new concept for people living in Ireland. I’ve pulled together the ultimate Amazon.co.uk shopping guide to help people save money with Revolut and avoid extra fees by using virtual UK shipping address. I’ve had a few times where something went wrong with an order but Amazon customer care has always gone above and beyond to resolve issues with minimal impact to me.

It’s a mad old time to be talking about Amazon opening their distribution centre in Dublin. Right now, there’s a massive drive for people to shop locally due to the whole COVID-19 thing. Personally, I’ve never shopping locally so much in my life. From food to general bits and pieces, I’m trying to keep money in the local economy. But I have to admit, sometimes I find it hard.

The high street struggles to offer the sheer range of products that Amazon offers. A few weeks back, I heard someone say “dig down into the Google search results to find Irish companies selling what you’re looking for” but it is more than that. Amazon offers incomparable selection and great value. Sure, they’re a somewhat big faceless corporate entity but at the same time there’ll come a day where it’s the only place that has what you need at an affordable price.

While I shop locally as much as possible, recently I did need something that I could only find at a reasonable price on Amazon.co.uk. When the order was being delivered I knew something major had changed.

Amazon Now Ships Some Orders From Dublin

Earlier this month, Amazon opened a logistics delivery station in Dublin and Amazon has confirmed to me that this “is not a trial”.

Amazon opening this centre has created twenty permanent jobs in Dublin and utilises local delivery companies to get you your orders. Right now, this setup is delivering to Dublin and the surrounding area.

Sarah-Jane Heffernan, Delivery Station Manager, said “we are delighted to have opened our first delivery station in Dublin where Amazon’s 20+ years of operational expertise, technology advancements and investment in transportation infrastructure is enabling faster delivery for customers than ever before seven days a week. The site in Rathcoole is a great location and we are excited to be delivering to our customers in Dublin and the surrounding area”.

What This Means For Irish Shoppers

The immediate impact for Irish shoppers is hopefully a better delivery experience. I first experienced Amazon’s own delivery service while in Germany and it looks like a similar system has been adopted for Ireland. Some benefits of having an Irish distribution centre is increased range or products (including items with batteries) which can be delivered faster than ever.

A Zeus Logistics Amazon delivery van spotted in the wild

Last week, I had an item delivered at 9.30am on a Sunday, so that’s something you might have to get used to too. The driver called me and said he was an “Amazon delivery driver” not An Post or DPD as I’m used to.

It was another order that gave the game away for me this week. I received a notification that my order would be delivered later in the day. When I opened the notification I was able to track my order stop by stop. One of the most frustrating things about shopping online these days is being given a two day delivery window so you need to work your whole day around being home to sign for your order.

With this Amazon system, you can see if your order is about to land or if it’s eight stops away.

When my order landed it was hilariously wrong but Amazon’s typically brilliant customer care kicked in and resolved everything in just a few moments over webchat.

Amazon’s own delivery service doesn’t replace existing partners like An Post and DPD. Instead Amazon says it adds additional capacity to meet growing demand and will continue to work alongside existing partners.

Impact Of Amazon In Ireland

So, the full story here is Amazon has finally started to focus properly on Ireland. This may come as a direct result of Brexit or COVID-19 but the big challenge for Irish business is going to be the world’s biggest e-commerce company entering the market to poach customers.

As I said, we should all be trying more than ever to support Irish businesses but Irish businesses need to adapt much more quickly to meet the needs of the modern consumer. I do beg you to try and spend locally when you can but also don’t feel bad if you turn to Amazon.co.uk to pick up something either.

Update: This article was updated to include that Amazon’s own delivery service will add support to existing partners like An Post and DPD, not replace it.

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I think it's fair to say we're counting down...

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