This was always going to be the really interesting part of the PS5 launch. I say that because Microsoft took a two tier approach with their pricing across two very different consoles. Sony does have a similar approach in that there’s two versions of the same console, the difference being one has a CD-drive and the other doesn’t. For those of you with lightening fast broadband connections, the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition comes in at €399.99. If you’re buying in the UK it’s actually a little cheaper at £359.99 giving you about a fiver if you were to pick out your console up North.
The more expensive model is the CD-drive version of the PS5. This is the standard model which is just called the PlayStation 5. This console will set you back €499.99 in Ireland or £449.99 in the UK. I don’t for a second think that you’re going to order in a PS5 from the UK to save €7 but at the same time, if you’re passing through Newry, why not?
When Can You Pre-order PlayStation 5?
That’s the brass tacks so far. There’s some more info we’re waiting on confirmation on, including pre-order. We’ll keep an eye out and update this article when pre-order opens.
A couple of years ago at Web Summit, I listened to a great talk on wearables. The guy speaking introduced me to the concept of the halfway test. If you leave your house and get halfway to your destination, what would be important enough to turn around an go home for? Your wallet, almost certainly. Your phone, maybe. Your smartwatch, most likely not. They are a nice to have. However, today smartwatches are shifting away from simply letting you know you have messages to being full on health devices. Fitbit recently launched the Sense, the first wearable which saw them confident enough to use terminology like “health monitor” instead of “fitness tracker”. Now, devices like the sense have passed regulatory review to identify Atrial Fibrillation (AFib).
Fitbit’s Health Monitor
Fitbit has received Conformité Européenne (CE) marking in the European Union, for its electrocardiogram (ECG) app to assess heart rhythm for atrial fibrillation (AFib). This is a condition that affects more than 33.5 million people globally and one I’ve been tested for myself (and got the all-clear).
The Fitbit ECG App launches in October 2020 to people with the Fitbit Sense in several countries, including Ireland. Despite being one of the most preventible conditions, heart disease being the leading cause of death worldwide. AFib, an irregular heart rhythm that increases the risk of serious complications like stroke, can be particularly difficult to detect, as episodes can sometimes show no symptoms and is discovered by chance. Up to 25% of people who have an AFib-related stroke find out they have AFib only after a stroke has occurred.
Beyond Step Tracking
Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide, despite being one of the most preventable conditions. AFib, an irregular heart rhythm that increases the risk of serious complications like stroke, can be particularly difficult to detect, as episodes can sometimes show no symptoms. Some studies suggest that as many as 25 percent of people who have an AFib-related stroke find out they have AFib only after a stroke has occurred. Early detection of AFib is not just difficult but critical to people’s health.
Fitbit is ambitious here. The company’s co-founder, Eric Friedman says “helping people understand and manage their heart health has always been a priority for Fitbit, and our new ECG app is designed for those users who want to assess themselves in the moment and review the reading later with their doctor”.
Flying Blind
Our doctors are often flying blind when it comes to detecting AFib. I wsa donating platelets when a potential issue with my own heart was spotted. A nurse felt I had an odd heartbeat, my donation was stopped and I had to go get some proper testing done. An inconclusive EKG with my GP was followed by a 24-hour halter unit test which monitored a full day of my heart rate. I got the all clear, but it was an expensive and nervous time. The funny thing is that the cost of everything was about the same as the new Fitbit sense.
This is exciting because a consumer wearable could actually provide medical professionals with critical data if they buy into it.
As part of the process to be a recognised medical-grade device, Fitbit conducted clinical trials across the U.S. The study looked at how accurately Fitbit could detect AFib from normal sinus rhythm. The results were impressive, exceeded target performance, demonstrating the ability to detect 98.7% of AFib cases and was 100% accurate in identifying study participants with normal sinus rhythm.
Doctors are often flying blind when it comes to our day-to-day lives and diagnose us based on a short meeting. Dr. Venkatesh Raman, an interventional cardiologist at MedStar Georgetown Hospital in the US has long believed in the potential for health tracking wearables. He believes using “real-world, individual data to deliver more informed, personalized care” is the way forward, and is hopeful that Fitbit can help detect AFib earlier.
The Fitbit Sense will be the first wearable from the company to feature this new tech. All you do is hold your finger to the stainless steel ring on the watch while being still for 30 seconds to get a reading that can be downloaded and shared with a doctor.
For me, that means new-age wearables like the Fitbit sense are much more likely to pass the halfway test.
IKEA is famed for making affordable but stylish furniture. Today, the Swedish homewares giant announced they would be partnering with ASUS’ gaming division, Republic of Gamers (ROG) to develop a new range of affordable gaming furniture and accessories to bring the gaming experience at home to a new level.
Tapping Into Gaming
Believe it or not, gaming is still very much a growing industry. With about a quarter of the world’s population now considering themselves to be gamers, IKEA has noticed there is some unfed demand for gaming setups. It’s a genius move to target professional streamers and casual hobbyists alike, both often somewhat rich with disposable income. The “Twitch generation” is used to subscription models and in chasing down a tidy gaming setup, may turn to things like LIFX smart lights to up their visual game. IKEA claims to be “curious about how home furnishing could improve gaming experience and life around it” but the real brass tacks here is that they’re eager to tap into a rich market.
That’s no bad thing because I believe there’s a tonne of games out there eager to see what IKEA brings to the gaming table.
Gaming Specialists
It’s dangerous to go alone in the world of gaming. Get something wrong and your best-laid plans will simply fall flat on their face. That’s why IKEA will partner with ASUS’ Republic of Gamers. Together the companies will launch a series of products designed specifically for the gamers to bring improved comfort and gaming experience. Instead of the gaming setup being something relegated to “the gaming cave”, IKEA and ROG hope to “welcome gaming home through developing the new range of affordable and ergonomic gaming furniture & accessories, designed to increase performance while also blend in beautifully to homes”.
Personally, I don’t think this will just be individual units. IKEA could go down a similar route of their bespoke kitchen designs. This would definitely achieve the goal of building a gaming setup into your home.
When Does IKEA And ROG Partnership Launch In Ireland?
It’s all well and good, but I’m afraid you won’t be getting this range in Ireland any time soon. The new gaming range is developed in IKEA Product Development Centre in China, Shanghai and this is also where the new range will launch. This Chinese launch takes place in February 2021 with the rest of the world following in October 2021. This range is set to include about 30 items and I’m almost certain it will strike a chord with gamers nationwide when it lands.
Smartphones, they are all the same right? Wrong! Budget, quality, design, OS and much more all have to come together to make something that’s both beautiful and functional, yet more often than not, this point is missed. Last year something changed with the release of the Google Pixel 3a. A mid-price phone with some flagship specs. Google have just dropped it’s successor, the Google Pixel 4a and I’ve been lucky enough to have been hands on with this €389 handset. So let’s see how it stacks up.
What Is The Google Pixel 4a?
I’m not entirely sure how it came about, but last years Pixel 3a felt like Google had ordered too many camera systems to make flagship phones. The answer to this problem was to make a cheaper phone with lower spec but the same camera. The result was remarkable both in terms of value and delivering a phone with a great camera. Now, it’s quite possible that’s not really what went down at all and that the Pixel 3a was always planned to sit in the mid-range smartphone category. Actually, it’s likely. But regardless, it’s set an expectation for the Pixel 4a and boy god do the fine folks at Google deliver in spades once again.
Pixel 4a: Launch Date, Price And Where To Buy
It’s out now! The Pixel 4a showed up on the Google store recently with availability for pre-orders with open sales starting from October 1st. In terms of where you can buy the 4a, it’s going to be available both on the Google Store and through Vodafone. But the Irish network will probably just get the black 64Gb model and we are looking at online pricing at €389 but probably a little more expensive in stores as is the norm.
Design
The Google Pixel 4a is exactly what you would expect from Google. It’s a lovely little phone and the matte finish in my personal opinion is one of the nicer styles to the now usual glass and metallic styles of today. The pixel 4a is also small, coming in at 144 x 69.4 x 8.2mm to be exact. So technically speaking its a smaller handset than last years Pixel 3a but it’s rocking a bigger screen than its predecessor. All in all this is a lovely looking and feeling phone, yano one of those that just fits nicely in your hands and you can reach all 4 corners of the screen without having to readjust your hands.
I also noticed how light the phone is and I found myself after coming from the Pixel 3xl, checking my pockets to make sure it was still there, which it was. Noticing it was so light I had to check it out and turns out its one of the lightest phones on the market, including the iPhone SE which comes in at 148g.
On the handset itself you will find the USB-C below with speakers either side, the green power button and volume control on the side and on top we get the now almost defunct 3.5mm headphone jack. This is kind of cool because it means when it comes to audio you can use bluetooth, type C and 3.5mm headphones. Oh and before I forget there is also the fingerprint scanner that is situated on the rear of the phone something which has become just part of the design of the Google handsets. Something we don’t see in the 4a is facial recognition, that’s one of the few areas the Google Pixel 4a trims the fat.
Another point to note about the design is the camera node on the back. It’s barely raised of the back of the phone and if you’re a caseless daredevil like myself it means unlike some other phones on the market that you can still use the phone on your desk without that annoying wobble. It’s not a major thing but hey they little details count.
Display
When it comes to the display on the Google Pixel 4a we get Googles first totally bezel-less screen and a punch hole in the top left hand corner which houses the camera, this even gets hidden with some very clever wallpapers. I like how this looks and the way the camera hole hides itself in the notifications bar means you would barely realise any screen real estate being taken up.
As I was saying about the wallpapers you get a bunch of preset fun options that hides the camera much better than a standard wallpaper, we’ve seen this in some phones before but for me it’s just one of those clever things that make a difference to how things look. Using one of these wallpapers means the camera looks like it just fits.
The 5.8″ display is an OLED, Full HD+, 1080 x 2340 resolution that boasts Gorilla Glass 3 that helps keep the screen protected against the basic scratches and markings that you can get from lobbing it into a pocket with keys. True this is older than let’s say what the OnePlus Nord is rocking but hey this is all about Google making savings and trimming the fat and here the Gorilla Glass 3 is more than enough to do the job it’s asked to do.
With the resolution how it is we get lovely popping vibrant colours but swapping over from the TCL 10 Pro it did feel a little smaller when watching Spurs All or Nothing in bed. As per the norm now we also get the always on display and here we we the usual time, date, alarms and all that good stuff.
Camera
Now you might think that a modern phone using 1 instead of 4 cameras is going to be a downgrade, but this isn’t really the case. Just because a phone is bouncing out more cameras doesn’t always make it better, sometimes it’s just a case of adding lens to up the price and make something out to be more than it actually is. In terms of the cameras themselves, we get a 12mp main camera which can shoot in 4K video at 30fps, 1080p at 30fps, 60fps and 120fps, and 720p at 30fps, 60fps and a super-slow 240fps.
Granted I totally understand you probably won’t be blown away by the idea of 12mp camera but Apple were rocking this for years and when you do a side by side comparison against the majority of the Pixels competition you genuinely won’t be disappointed. What I like about the 4a is how beautifully simple the camera is to use. It’s really just as simple as point and shoot and Google’s smart software will do the rest.
There is also a portrait mode but if that ain’t your thing you can use the in built editing software to do some nice little photo tricks to make things look even sharper.
Just look at that photo, the night sight is brilliant. When you are taking a snap in the dark you have two options. Firstly you can use the fancy exposure control and brightness control which will give you a preview of how your finished shot will show up. We also have night sight which in my humble opinion is one of the best of the lot that we have seen in any phone to date.
The photo I took above is an example of Night Sight in action and this was taken at midnight, btw follow myself, Martin and Goosed for more tech magic on social media, or TikTok because Martin is killing it over there. When using Night Sight you need to hold onto the camera for a couple of seconds to be fair they look gorgeous.
Night Sight has an additional mode built into it: astrophotography, which debuted on the Pixel 4, and there are several criteria you’ll need to meet in order for this to work. This can only be used in basically pitch black with no residential lighting around and you will need a bit of patience. Point at your starts he screen will read ‘astrophotography on’. Hit the shutter button, and the handset will take your pic and you need to wait about 2-5 mins for the photo to process.
Battery life
Not going to lie it’s not perfect but it sure is one of the better batteries in this price range. The Google Pixel 4a is using a more than reasonable 3,140mAh battery which is again bigger and better than last years model and sorry to be picking on Apple but their new SE is only using a 1,800mAh, make of that what you will.
In terms of lifespan, the fine folks in Google estimate 24 hours of life, which is never going to be the case when you factor in usage but to be fair in my tests we managed to rock from 8am to 10pm without needing a charge, unless I went on a Spotify bender, in that case I may have had to the use the fast charge to get us through.
Something minor again that I really did enjoy was the estimated time remaining on the battery bar up the top of the screen, this shows once the battery is on it’s last legs or you’re using the battery saving mode. Another place Google trim the fat is with the complete lack of wireless charging but we do get fast charging.
Performance
When it comes to power and performance, the Google Pixel 4a stacks enough sauce to do everything you might want with a phone. Inside the phone it is powered by the Snapdragon 730, 6GB and 128GB of storage. Not going to lie, something like the OnePlus Nord both has a stronger spec sheets overall. The Nord has more RAM and more storage and 4 cameras instead of 2 but this is not about going into a spec war this is about delivering class and function at a good price which the Google Pixel 4a does in spades.
We are also working off Android 10, which is quick and easy to use and they have this new gesture control that you can use instead of the button navigation at the base of the screen and so far I still haven’t quite mastered it but I do like it.
In other news Google Assistant is as is the norm these days is becoming more and more important and on the 4a you can summon El Googlio by swiping up from the bottom corner of the screen or of course say Okay Google, which is great considering this is hooked up to my Google Home.
The Goosed Verdict
Once upon a time, buying the €1,000 phone was the standard bearer, what you needed to show status and it’s what you needed to spend to get something worth buying. That’s no longer the case and phones like the OnePlus Nord, TCL 10 Pro and the Google Pixel 4a really go to show that if you want a solid phone for day to day use that has everything you need, then you no longer need to break the bank. That’s music to Santa ears I reckon.
The Google Pixel 4a isn’t a flagship phone and thankfully it doesn’t even try to be, the 4a compromised but it does so in a way that gives you what you need in a phone! Google don’t make light versions of premium apps and nor do they ignore the snazzy buzzwords in the market just to ramp up the price. Genuinely i’ve moved to the 4a permanently from more expensive phones and i’m very happy with this choice. The only real reason you would have to choose a €900 phone over this €389 beast is the lack of 5G, waterproofing, wireless charging, or expandable storage but think about it…do you really need any of them?
To put it simply you get an awesome camera, classy screen and solid battery life, plus some charming bits of software trickery all wrapped up in a lovely looking device. The Google Pixel 4a is one of the best phones you can get your hands on right now and that has nothing to do with the price tag.
Spec Sheet
Display: 5.81-inch 1080 x 2340 OLED, 443 ppi with hole punch camera
Dimensions & weight: 5.7 x 2.7 0.3 inches; 144 grams
Battery: 3,140mAh
RAM and storage: 6GB; 128GB
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G
Rear camera: 12.2-megapixel, 1.4 μm pixel width, dual pixel phase detection autofocus, OIS and EIS, f/1.7 equivalent aperture, 77-degree field of view
Video: 1080p at 30, 60, or 120fps; 720p at 30, 60, or 240fps; 4K a 30fps
Front camera: 8-megapixel, 1.12 μm pixel width, ƒ/2.0 equivalent aperture, 84-degree field of view
Other: Stereo speakers, headphone jack, USB-C, no wireless charging
Supports 4G but not 5G
Includes 18W USB power adapter and cable in box, no headphones in box
Writing this post is a big old gamble. I don’t think TikTok is going anywhere anytime soon, but the United States has fixed crosshairs on the Chinese social media platform, just like they did with Huawei. The company must sell US operations before September 20th or risk being banned in the “Land of the Free”. But this post is a gamble because the States makes up a large proportion of TikTok users. Trust me, I can tell from the amount of both pro and anti-Trump stuff being posted. I’m banking on the platform remaining damn popular in the coming months and years. While some are closer to leaving TikTok, if you’re thinking of poking your head in the TikTok door, here are some of the best accounts I follow.
Comedy: TikToks For Fun
I’m going to split up who I following into some different categories and I’m going to kick off with comedy.
@The_Black_Paddy
I don’t love every single one of these Tiktoks but this creator has made me giggle a fair few times. AKA Fabu D, following this TikToker gets you lots of Irish comedy. You know that observational type that laughs at everything stupid we do as Irish people. I’m including Fabu in this list, fully knowing that his jokes won’t make everyone laugh, but they work on me. Give him a lash.
@hummysvrcomedy
This account is just so stupid that whenever it appears I catch up on days worth of their posts. The entire account is dedicated to TikToks from virtual reality. From weird virtual parties to flat earth jokes made from virtual outer space. I’m going to give the same warning again. When it comes to comedy, I find this creator funny, you might not.
@semistupid
Ah this TikToker, for me, sums up the entire platform and why it’s popular. Splicing together some fresh recordings with footage from TV and movies, this creator makes loads of funny videos. It’ll make a lot more sense after you watch a few. The cut away style is really the strength of TikTok in terms of creatives and comedy.
@angryreactions
I’ve just recently discovered this account run by Oneya Johnson but so far I’m loving it. As the TikTok handle might suggest, this account is all about angry reactions. Oneya makes use of another unique TikTok feature in Duets. This means he sees videos from other TikTokers and posts a reaction video alongside the original. His being extremely angry. This one might wear thin after a while but for now I love it.
@tadhgfleming
It’s not my first time talking about Tadhg. Himself and the father and ever the wider family now are just hilarious. With 2.2 million followers, Tadhg might well have the biggest TikTok page in Ireland. His family mandess garners much interest. You might remember him going viral when his father, Derry, was chasing a bat around the kitchen. So viral he actually ended up on Ellen.
@miakhalifa
You might know Mia, you might not. That’s between you and your browser history. Today, Mia is creating some of the funniest videos on TikTok and now garners over 10m followers. She’s give hilarious takes on her past but also create some quality new content too.
@breeandclint
I think this is probably one of my favorite finds on TikTok. I never fail to laugh at the content these guys create from their New Zealand radio show. They let a lot of shit fly on the airwaves over there and the result is comedy gold on TikTok. From inappropriate jokes about the classic tune “Come on Eileen” to deliberately going silent on air to make a backup tape kick in, the spectrum for comedy here is broad.
@martyguilfoyle
You may or may not have heard that there’s a TikTok creator experiment going on in Dublin right now. I’ve not given it any attention except for knowing that Marty Guilfoyle, a well-known DJ, made headlines in there. It was an odd attempt to “cancel” a seemingly lovely man for no good reason whatsoever. He leave the so-called “Goat House”and to be honest, he may have been better off. I say that purely based on the fact I followed him before all of that and thought he was gas.
Give him a follow.
Facts: Science And Insights
@neildegrassetyson
Love a bit of science and deep thinking. It was Neil de Grasse Tyson who made me realise what my real taken on religion was when I opted to leave the church. He has a way of taking really complex scientific concepts and making them extremely palatable. Not only that, but he sprinkles loads of comedy in there too. I learn more than I laugh so it goes into science TikToker category.
@architectrussell
I honestly can’t get enough of this TikToker. Apparently he’s better known on YouTube but Architect Russell does two thing brilliantly. First, he’s cutting out a corner of TikTok for himself, focusing on how our cities, homes and shops are designed and built. He manages to talk about some of the most mundane stuff on the internet and make it really interesting. What he does even better is perfect loops. As his TikTok videos finish, they restart seamlessly, leaving you wonder how he managed it. As someone who is trying to make more TikToks, he’s wrecking my head.
@bobflavinofficial
If you want to get in on the ground floor with a TikToker, here’s your chance. Bob is one of Ireland’s best known independent auto-reviewers. I’ve watched some of his reviewed and what I love is that he’s just and Irish man giving his opinion on cars. There’s really no bullshit. The gas thing about Bob is that he’s just started answering general questions about motoring on TikTok. It turns out that there was noone really doing this and now Bob’s knowledge has led to him getting thousands of followers in just a few days. He’s gas, full of knowledge and growing fast so get on it.
@lucyedwardsblind
What I love about TikTok is that you can come across rabbit holes of learning. Honestly, you could spend two hours learning from someone elses lived experience and Lucy Edwards, a BBC Radio presenter, is one of those creators. How do blind people read emails, use an oven, find their phone or plug in their phone? Can blind people be afraid of the dark? See, you’re fascinated aren’t you. You can follow Lucy on TikTok and get answers to this and more.
@laurenoliviahoward
I love this humour. I adore it. Lauren has a series of videos called “my kind of humour” and it’s also my kind of humour.
There’s a shocking lack of tech reviewers on TikTok. At least, my algorithm has been very slow to show me tech reviewers. I just discovered this guy today!
@georgereilly
The quality of George’s TikToks are top class. He specialises in all things Apple but has plenty of other things to talk about in the world of tech too. He even has a take on blue light glasses which I’ve just reviewed myself. With 305k followers, George clearly knows what he’s talking about but also knows how to create the right kind of content to get TikTok salivating. Only discovered today, I’m looking forward to following him.
@goosedofficial
Duh. It’s a shameless plug. I’m trying to grow the channel so g’wan over there and give it a follow for the craic. Two videos got a fair bit of attention so far. A Eufy robovac cleaning the floor and a P40 Pro fast charging. I’m trying to crack what makes things popular over there so all ideas welcome!
Honestly, it’s so hard to find decent tech reviewers on the platform. That’s kind of why I’m hoping to bring something to TikTok that isn’t there right now. If it is there and the algorithm just isn’t playing ball with me, please suggest some tech TikTokers to me!
So, give them all a follow and let me know what you think. Any questions about TikTok? Sure pop on and leave a question in the comment under any video and I’ll come back to you! Happy TikToking.
There’s a range of cliches I could kick this article off with given the world we’re living in right now. You know, like “new normal” and all that jazz. Right now, we’re staring at screens more than ever. A recent study by Sapphire Eyewear claims that our screen time has increased by 45% as a result of isolation during Covid-19. If your office job, from time to time you’d get up from your desk and have a face to face meeting from time to time with a fellow human. Those meetings are now video calls and combined with the rest of your workday, you’re eyes are taking a pounding. Some people end up with low prescription glasses but others with perfect vision have turned to blue light filtering glasses. These are a relatively new trend but the big question is, do they work and are they worth spending some money on? I got a pair of blue light glasses from an Irish company called Sapphire Eyewear and I’ve been testing them out to see if they’re worth it.
What Are Blue Light Glasses?
To understand blue light glasses I guess we need to understand blue light itself. Blue light is often attributed to the screens we sit in front of all day, but it’s around a lot longer than that. First, we get blue light from the sun and second comes the gadgets. This invisible light is produced by televisions, laptops, smartphones and tablets. All those kind of things.
Blue light causes an apparent issue by being a higher energy light which leads to particularly highly strained eyes. Overexposure to blue light also impacts our ability to sleep. The solution is blue light filtering glasses. You wear them during the day while working in front of a computer and at night to prevent the blue light from screens from keeping you awake.
These come in both prescription and non-prescription lenses and a wide variety of styles. Indeed, many spreadsheet toting business folk believe the blue light glasses market is set to exploding in the coming years. However, many still doubt whether these things work at all. Jon tested out Ambr glasses before and found them great, so I was interested to see how I got on with Sapphire Eyewear’s take.
Who Is Sapphire Eyewear?
Sapphire Eyewear is based out of Galway and Cork, founded by Dr Dearbhaile Collin and her husband Seamus Flynn. The story is awesome. The couple spent their honeymoon in Zambia and were shocked to learn a country with a population of 16 million people had just 48 qualified opticians. During the honeymoon, Dearbhaile noticed headaches she was having while researching had stopped. It was the starting point for a connection being made between screen-time, blue light and the impact on both the human mind and body.
Seamus is an optician with over 20 years experience. Over the past five years, he noticed an increase in eyestrain complaints. The result was all of this coming together with an offering of blue light glasses where a portion of the profits fund eyewear in the developing world.
To get tested, the Sapphire team sent over this lovely looking pair of blue light filtering glasses.
Rubino Transparent Blue Light Filtering Glasses
Let’s break down these glasses a bit.
Design
I can’t help but feel that Jurgen Klopp has made transparent frames the best looking frames on the market. The Rubino look quite similar to the Liverpool manger’s frames so that’s a good start for me!
In terms of design, these glasses are pretty cool. They are obviously only going to appear to certain people but the range Sapphire has on their website is broad to say the very least. The big test was taking part in various Zoom calls and I can confirm, compliments were had. Personally, the design on the temples wasn’t really for me but I only saw that when opening the box and it never occurred to me again.
The glasses are very comfy, stay in place requiring very infrequent adjustment. As you might expect, they’re shipped in a tidy glasses case and come with a cleaning cloth. Standard stuff so far.
Function
This glasses are suitable for people with or without prescription. If you do wear glasses normally, you can include the strength of lens you need and get a pair that meet your needs.
The big question is really about the blue light blocking. So does it work?
Do Blue Light Blocking Glasses Work?
Yes. Blue light blocking glasses absolutely do block blue light. Just check out this test.
The real question here is whether or not this has an impact on eye-strain and headaches. The answer to that question has stumped people much smarter than me.
Take Jon for example. He’s worn similar glasses and found they’ve worked for him. But let me place devil’s advocate here. This could be the placebo effect. I generally look at the larger picture. If you’re researching and buying eye strain and blame your computer screen, you’ll end up at blue light glasses eventually. When you buy a pair, you’ll likely also be trying to cut back on screen time and see results.
After digging around for some supporting science I found an article from The Texas Medical Centre concluding that there’s no data to support blue light filtering glasses work. It’s a common conclusion I’m uneasy with. In trying to leave the church I’ve discovered I’m agnostic and I think that’s how I feel about blue light glasses too. There’s no science to prove they work, but there also seems to be a lack of science disproving blue light filtering glasses. I said this to the guys in Sapphire who pointed towards a study where, in a study of twelve adults, wearing blue light filtering glasses, experienced improved “sleep efficacy and sleep latency”.
I’m waiting to be convinced either way.
“The concern with blue light has really gotten to another level,” says Sunir Garg, a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology who seems more concerned with the surge in interest in an unproven solution more so than the solution itself. And that’s a fair concern.
Whether these glasses work or not, it’s crucial that they are not sold as a miracle cure and that’s why I really like Sapphire Eyewear.
Should You Try Blue Light Filtering Glasses
Here’s the simple truth about blue light glasses. I can’t tell you, beyond scientific doubt, that blue light filtering glasses will solve your tired eyes or headache issues. From what I’ve read researching this article, from Jon’s experience and my own, the best I can come up with is “they might”. The phrase is “anecdotal evidence” points to some sort of positive impact but that’s the best I have to offer.
Here are some more facts though.
You Always Wanted Glasses Didn’t You?
I used to wonder what life with glasses would be like. Eventually, I got a pair because I was slightly, and I mean slightly, longsighted. I probably didn’t need glasses at all but I was happy to get a pair. Why? I thought they looked cool. They’d suit a certain look, an aesthetic, that I liked. With these glasses from Sapphire Eyewear, the lenses don’t need to be prescription so you could buy these purely because they look cool and they make you look smart.
As an added bonus, they might make using a computer that little bit better and help you sleep too.
You Will Help People In The Developing World
I already detailed how Sapphire Eyewear came about. Not only did the wife and husband team want to address modern eyewear issues but they also wanted to help the developing world. They’ve teamed up with Mission For Vision which means when you buy a pair of blue light filtering glasses another pair will be donated to people in need of eyewear in developing countries.
Once again, as an added bonus, these glasses you buy might make using a computer that little bit better and help you sleep.
The 20-20-20 Rule
If you want to reduce your headaches and eye strain without taking a chance on the glasses, try these steps:
Take regular breaks and…
Every 20 minutes, stare at an object at least 20 feet away from you for 20 seconds
Sapphire Blue Light Glasses: The Verdict
You can be sure that you’ll soon be hit by Instagram ads being run by some snake oil salespeople promising you the sun, moon and stars with blue light glasses. Many will oversell the benefits completely with assurances these glasses will change your life. Unfortunately, I just can’t tell you if they work or not.
What I can tell you is that Sapphire Eyewear is offering you
some really nice looking frames
at a very attractive price
which might reduce eye strain and
help you sleep
a way to help developing countries get eyewear they need
all put together by an experienced doctor and optician
You can pick up a pair to try for yourself over on the Sapphire Eyewear website with a non-prescription pair setting you back €55. A good price for a potential solution and knowing that you’ve helped someone in need.
It feels like you can buy anything and everything with a Google Assistant built into it now. Looking around my sitting room, I have a Google Assistant-powered soundbar, a Google Home in the kitchen and Google Nest Wifi which has an assistant in the bedroom too. In such a small space adding another smart speaker meant it needed to be different. The Marshall Uxbridge landed on my desk for review and I fell in love immediately.
Classic Marshall Look And Feel
I need to get this out of the way early. I’m totally biased in this review. Back in the day, I used to be in a band. I didn’t have the best gear in the world. My guitar was a Fender knock-off, my amp was a fourth hand little-known brand and my effects peddle, well I actually invested in a really good peddle. We used to do the odd gig, starting off playing at a teenage disco where I forgot the words to a Blink 182 song. A year or so later we were playing proper gigs where the headline act brought their rigs and we just plugged in. Here was when I fell in love with Marshall.
I was plugging into a Marshall half stack amp. Even if that means nothing to you, you probably know what I’m talking about. These are the guitar amps that feature on most rock stage concerts.
Isn’t that pretty. The funny thing about that gig where I got to plug into this for the first time was that I nearly blew the thing up. My really good peddle was turned up to ten and so was the amp so when everything got connected, everyone in the room gasped because of the deafening squeal. By the time the Mike Got Spiked guitarist made it to the stage everything was fixed and I was laughing away to myself. He wasn’t.
But that’s the amp that I fell in love with. I never got to own one, but this is what made my super biased when opening my Marshall Uxbridge smart speaker.
The Marshall Uxbridge Smart Speaker
Marshall has started to produce several smart speakers in different sizes. The Uxbridge is one of the most living room friendly designs. While it’s quite small and nowhere near the size of the speaker on the stage of rock shows, the sound is brilliant. It’s not the most remarkable speaker on the market but given the relatively small size of the box the sound outperforms expectation. I’m sure there are plenty of audiophiles out there who will dismiss the audio quality, but this is bringing charm and sound to the table.
The Google Home alongside the Marshall Uxbridge speaker
What it may be lacking in sounds for some, it may make up for with connectivity. The Uxbridge comes in two different models, so be careful to pick the one that best suits your own setup. The one I tested is the Google Assistant-powered speaker but it can also be bought with Alexa brains. The two speakers are not interchangeable, so make up your mind and stick to it. You can connect directly to the speaker by Bluetooth but most will play tunes by asking their assistant to play from Spotify or another music service. If you live in an iOS world, you’ve also got AirPlay too.
The Goosed Verdict
At the outset, I said it feels like everything can be bought with a smart assistant built-in, and I stand by that. In this case, the assistant is installed in a bit of nostalgia and great design. There are plenty of other speakers on the market which will deliver equal, if not better, sound quality. But few will look as awesome on your shelf as the Marshall Uxbridge smart speaker. The Google Home itself is a great speaker but it’s design is a bit vanilla.
The entire internet is now built for one reason. To catch your attention. In running this site, I’ve resisted for years adding ads to the site. But I’m trying to build a business which can bring more and more people the best tech news on a daily basis. So I caved. Unless you’re using an ad blocker, this page has ads. That’s because companies will pay to get in front of you. It’s a bit of an unfair battle given until I said that, you might not have even noticed what was happening. That’s why The Social Dilemma on Netflix is absolute must-watch TV for you, your family and your kids.
What Is The Social Dilemma?
Computers were born to be tools. Right back to the early calculators to more modern computers, technology was designed for us to be used as a tool. Something changed a couple of years back in a Harvard dorm room as Mark Zuckerberg began compiling code for The Facebook. A “the” later and one of the biggest platforms in the world has been at the core of international conflicts and question marks over how democratic democracy really is.
Technology’s promise to keep us connected has given rise to a host of unintended consequences that are catching up with us. If we can’t address our broken information ecosystem, we’ll never be able to address the challenges that plague humanity.
TheSocialDilemma.com
Social media platforms are growing faster than ever and when I say that I’m not talking about users. No, I’m talking about the algorithms and smart methods used to get you hooked on apps and platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more recently Tiktok. This is what our social dilemma is and this whole story is the core of Netflix’s new documentary of the same name.
So, I run a tech site and I view my job as keeping people like you in touch with what’s going on. As that’s the case, a lot of the stuff in this new documentary isn’t startling to me. I already knew it. However, it’s not been packaged up in this need hour and a half documentary filled with experts who have left high paying positions from the world’s biggest tech companies. Many of these people left on ethical grounds. One expert even tells of how he uses tools to avoid the very systems he himself helped to build.
From watching this documentary, it becomes real clear real fast. People who know a lot about the inner workings of these social media platforms are very worried about their power.
Is Social Media Evil?
Straight off the bat, social media isn’t evil. There’s nothing inherently wrong with cat videos or posting a birthday message on someone’s Facebook feed. Humanity has evil tendencies and where evil is given an opportunity it will thrive. Social media is one such breeding ground and that’s what The Social Dilemma sets out to make abundantly clear.
Does My Phone’s Microphone Listen To Me?
Take Facebook as an example. Facebook started out as a directory but then they hired someone to monetise the platform. He stared at it until he worked out how this thing makes money. The answer is obvious; it’s advertising. Now, I know you’ve thought about this. You’ve had a conversation about iPads with a friend and within a few hours, you’re seeing ads on Instagram for iPads. Must be your phone’s microphone listening in on you right?
Digital Marketing
I’ve worked in digital marketing and seen teams of people working out how best to target you with ads for shoes. Ads that follow you around the internet because you or people displaying very simiilar behaviour to you hit a certain score on a score card. This score suggests a high likelihood to purchase certain items at certain times from certain places. For advertisers, it’s money well spend. We’ll bid €1.20 to appear in front of this person because there’s 12% of people like you who buy €90 shoes. That efficient.
I’d even argue that to a certain extent, that’s not evil. That’s business. For some, they feel that they are been shown the ads they want to see so they can buy items them like.
If you started out being worried about Facebook listening into your conversations so they can advertise to you then I’m afraid there’s something much more worrying. Facebook doesn’t need to. The platform uses incredibly powerful algorithms to determine your influences and match to with other users on the platform and even in the real world by using your smartphone to ping other devices. With this information, they can build an incredible profile of who you are and predict what ads you’ll react to and in turn make them money.
Is this evil? For me, at worst, this is ethically unfair but probably not evil. But, as I said, people are evil.
Hack The Planet
Social media has been hacked by bad actors for personal or collective gain. Think Trump, Brexit, Brazil or convincing people not to vote at all in some elections, swinging numbers to minority interests. Here, social media becomes evil. Beyond these events, social media has another evil side to it. Instead of sitting idly by and waiting for an opportunity to advertise to you, through apps, notifications and an amazing understanding of human behaviour these new technologies are designed to hack the human psyche.
Have you ever noticed the impact a red notification dot has on your mind? The phantom pocket vibration as you hope for a message from someone you like? The shiver the message ding sends down your spine knowing someone wants to connect with you online? All of these characteristics of online platforms are designed to grab your attention and keep you on the platform for longer. The longer you stay, the more content you consume and the more likely you are to be of worth to advertisers.
The Social Dilemma: Worth The Watch?
Like I said at the outset, I’ve created a mini version of this. I write about tech to inform and to help people understand whats going on out there and what the best gadgets to buy are. I also knew you’d Google search about this documentary to see if it was worth your while giving it a watch. In doing so, I’ve created an opportunity where you might click and ad while you’re here and make Goosed.ie some money.
But this documentary has another reason for me recommending it. This really should be essential viewing for everyone, of all ages and all experience online. This documentary is people who’ve built the world’s biggest tech platforms telling us that things are getting out of control and that we all need to take stock and, at the very least, we aware of how these platforms work.
Do I think you should watch The Social Dilemma? I don’t think we, as a society, can afford not to watch it. Recently, I’ve started to ask questions like “how are we arming kids to navigate a digital world” and I think we all need to start asking similar questions as adults assessing our own behaviour and exposure to media.
The Social Dilemma is streaming now on Netflix. Visit the movie’s website to learn more about their cause.
Bonus: Make A Stand
After watching The Social Dilemma, I was thinking about how we can all do our bit to try and fight back. To try an reclaim our own digital identity. Here are five things you can do right now to regain control.
Turn off notifications. Use “Do Not Disturb Mode” on your phone so only calls get through to you. I’ve done this and felt great. I felt like I genuinely took back control over my time. Not having a constant ping of a tech company trying to grab my attention did my mental health wonders.
Budget how much time you spend on social media. Delete apps from your phone so that when you spend time on something like Twitter, you need to be at your desk or similar. Force yourself to have greater control over your own time.
Use an adblocker. I know there’s an irony here, but I would be happier knowing no one reaching this site ever sees ads because they’ve taken back control. You can use ad blockers to block lots of things beyond ads including tracking software too. Search engines like DuckDuckGo leave tracking at outside. They advertise based on the search query, not your behaviour.
Buy an alarm clock. Use a proper alarm clock and leave your phone in the sitting room to charge at night. You don’t need the last and first thing you do in the day being targeted advertising.
If you have kids, talk to them. Sit down together and watch this documentary. There’s nothing bad in here, just some hard truths. It’s not like watching a horror movie where Freddy is going to haunt their dreams. Instead, this is a piece of TV that will arm them with an understanding of how influence works.
As with pretty much every EA game, there is a new sports game release every year just ahead of the new season…most of the time it’s pretty much the same game with a new trick or two up it’s sleeve. Well to be perfectly honest since the era of Ultimate Team games in and micro-transactions I’m starting to get a bit sick of EA and their BS so you can imagine the mixed feelings when Madden 21 landed on my desk for review. On one hand the game does just enough to keep the series chugging along and on the other it’s a so underwhelming it’s not even funny.
Same S*#t Different Day
I love my sports games, Fifa, UFC, Fight Night, F1, you name it and I’m all over it. However, it’s becoming easier and easier to dismiss the latest renditions for being overly similar to the previous years. Yes there are updates and changes being made and maybe this years games are being made with the next-gen consoles in mind but since the move to the Frostbite engine a couple of years ago, most EA Sports games feel the same year after year.
In fairness the Frostbite engine means that as ever Madden 21 looks bloody fantastic, the stadiums are gorgeous, players are hyper realistic and the move to the latest consoles like the PS5 is primed and ready to rumble. As ever the fans are gloried cardboard cut outs, which is a minor complaint but it would be amazing to see EA flex their muscles to create a real immersive experience.
When it comes to American sport, the pomp and ceremony is part of the parcel of the game and when it comes to Madden 21, the pre-game show of players dancing about the place is just cringy and with a game as technical as this, wouldn’t we all prefer them sexy stat blocks that they typically use in the American broadcasts? It just feels like Madden 21 was released before it was finished.
Buggy Ball
Speaking about the game not feeling finished, Madden 21 is buggy as hell. The performance issues across the board are really annoying and things like the game freezing or frames dropping means you might actually have to close the app and restart. Sure visual glitches are down on last year but they are more than made up for with a rake of performance issues and to be honest in a game of this standard the amount of bugs is unacceptable. Watch this now Madden will make a fool of me with a new update which will resolve these problems.
Gameplay
When the game isn’t glitching out the gameplay is actually very nice, it’s smooth and actions feel on point. Using the right analogue stick or “skill stick” helps to feel the gliding and turning moves you need to avoid a big hit, even when the blocking feels much more realistic this time around. Playing some exhibition games was great to get a feel for the offensive and defensive systems and I remember last year it felt like you could just steamroll through people but this year if you don’t use your blockers for protection you will get nailed. So much more realistic if you ask me.
The Skill stick dynamic is rightly interesting and getting to grips with it will make it so much easier to pop together evasive combos to avoid tackles. For example hit your spin but you can already be ready with the hand off mid spin rather than having to wait to complete one action to begin the next. While defensively there is a new Pass Rush system that includes new moves to help navigate blocks.
Two of the best additions from Madden NFL 2020, X-Factor and Superstar abilities, are back again this year, these are the attributes a player is known for and I like this because it makes you feel the need to use your super star player, not unlike real life.
Face of the Franchise
This years story mode is now named Face of the Franchise: Rise to Fame and it’s pretty rubbish. You start back in High School and like many of these type story modes, its a wafer thin story, a bunch of choices that don’t matter and some cringeworthy character interactions, that all lead to you eventually making the big time.
From school, you move to the college game and then onto the NFL draft, regardless of whether you actually do anything or not. I tested it out to see and low and beyold after a couple of appearances, with no passes complete and no actions taken, no touchdowns etc, I was still getting picked. The only upside this year is that the story doesn’t just end when you reach the NFL so you can can continue your career while your character discusses the key moments as a narrator in an interview.
The Yard
We do like a new game mode and this year we’ve got one in The Yard. Madden 21 has taken a leaf from a few other game methods namely Fifa Street to create a 6 aside backyard bash. The only way I can describe this is a fun little game mode that allows you to play the pros in a way that you may have done yourself as a child in the garden. No rules, no time limits, no messing around.
In The Yard, Madden 21 sets up two sides in an 80 yard field, no kickers and every time there is a turnover you start with a 1st and 20 from your own 20 yard line.You can hike the ball to any player on your team and you can throw behind the line of scrimmage multiple times. You even get bonus points for interceptions or for throwing a TD after already passing it once.
Very similar to the likes of Fifa Street, The Yard is a cool distraction from the norm but it’s not enough to play on its own.
Franchise Mode
Franchise mode should be a staple of Madden 21, but it’s essentially an exact replica of last years model and the year before that. 3 years and no changes. Sure they expanded the wild card rounds, but that’s only to match changes to NFL rules but apart from that everything else is the exact same.
It’s a crying shame because a game mode that allows you to be a player, coach or owner and is the most fun in the series has been relegated to the bench in favour of Ultimate Teams, micro transactions and milking the cash now that is online gameplay for every cent that it’s worth without any regard to the actual enjoyment of the game.
The Goosed Verdict
Madden 21 is going to get a similar review to UFC 4 in that if you like the sport, then this game is going to be right up your alley. Having said that this is the exact type of game that could do with some competition in the market to help get the skids up EA to make some major innovations for the good of the series. For me personally Madden 21 is a let down for this reason alone. As the only major NFL game on the market, it’s become lazy, relying on micro transactions and the support of the sport to keep selling titles. Madden, like FIFA and a few other EA titles has become stagnant and while The Yard is a fun game mode and there are one or two tweaks to the overall gameplay, Madden just feels the exact same as last years game with a new hat. But then again if you’re an NFL fan and enjoy the Madden series (like me and FIFA) enjoy spending your dollars and get to the grid iron.
Update: This plan has now increased to €10.99 per month
Not that long ago, I looked at Gomo’s unbelievable launch in Ireland. With parent company Eir looking to mop up the younger mobile market they offered unlimited calls, texts and data for €9.99 per month. Today, Three’s youth network 48 has undercut this even further with €7.99 for all calls, all texts and 100GB of data. So again I ask, what’s the catch with 48?
The Plan
The plan seems pretty straight forward. You pay €7.99 per month and in return, you can make all the calls you like to Irish landline and mobile numbers. Texts are included too. These are subject to fair usage as is the case with all mobile providers. A “fair use policy applies where your use of the 48 Services is deemed by us to be excessive or unreasonable”. On the 48 network, the “fair use threshold currently set at 3,000 minutes and 5,000 text messages for every monthly period”.
Unlike Gomo, 48 have stayed away from the ever problematic “unlimited” terminology. You could argue “all” is more confusing, but what they’re saying with “all” is more than you’ll need.
Again, with data, there’s no unlimited term here so 48 is avoiding one of the modern advertising pitfalls and clearly stating you get 100GB of data. Is that plenty? Well, you’ll know yourself. If you have WIFI you’re grand. If you’re hot-spotting a house, that’s not a lot of data. If you’re travelling, which I guess you shouldn’t be, you also get 10GB EU/UK Roaming.
The “membership” or monthly plan lasts for exactly one month. That means if you buy your membership on May 2nd, you’ll need to buy another on June 2nd.
What’s Different
48 is claiming to be changing up mobile and they certainly do have a fresh approach. First of all, the €7.99 is the cheapest in the market and for your money you get a lot in your plan. Eilis Fitzgerald of 48 said the network has “revamped our plans earlier this year with the intention of changing up mobile. We wanted to co-create a mobile network alongside our customers that truly works for them. We listened, listened again and then listened some more! We believe that we have created a membership plan that delivers the goods; loads of data, unlimited minutes and text with the flexibility to use it how they want to”.
But what does different mean? Well, the big one for me is that you can donate unused data. For every unused 1GB of data you have leftover at the end of the month, you can donate 50c to FoodCloud, 48’s chosen charity which tries to reduce food waste. You can also carry allowances into your next month, save 5GB for an emergency, share it with friends, swap minutes for data or borrow from a friend.
Is It Worth A Lash?
Simply put, it would seem that this is worth a go. The best part about 48 is that you can try out the network for free. Fill in your details and order a 1GB sim card to see if it tickles your fancy. If not, nothing lost. If it works out, you’ve got your phone fuelled for €7.99 per month.
The offer is available for all new people joining 48 before 10.11.2020.
