The World Health Organisation has just deemed Corona a worldwide pandemic and what that means for work, life and everything else is anyone’s guess right now but Martys article on working from home is a good place to start. Anyway with that in mind events left, right and centre are being cancelled with public health and safety being the primary concern…and understandably so. Dublin Comic Con and now Dublin Tech Summit are the most recent to have tumbled to Covid-19.
Over the last three years, Dublin Tech Summit has steadily grown into a leading tech conference with over 10,000 global attendees, throughout this time we have met some amazing companies from KeepAppy to Newsadoo and everything in between. This years event which was meant to be happening in April was already shaping up to be aworld-class event to make DTS one of Europe’s most attended events.
Dublin Comic Con, which was set to take place at the Convention Centre Dublin on Saturday and Sunday, has been postponed until August.
Rescheduled
Events around the world are cancelling as they consider the safety of their global community in light of the ever-changing nature of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Like Google, like the Six Nations and like E3, DTS have decided to reschedule their event in April, based on the information provided by leading health organisations and the outlook on COVID-19.
The cancellations come as E3, the premier trade event for the video game industry, was also pulled. The organisers of the Web Summit last week said its sister conference Collision, which was to be held in Toronto in June, will now be an online-only event due to the spread of the coronavirus. We wait to see what else comes but it’s looking likely that all international events will either be cancelled, rescheduled or go virtual.
In light of these ongoing changes, in what can only be described as a wierd time globably, DTS & Comic Con have been pushed back to Sept 9-10 & August respectively. Organisers of Comic Con had this to say.
This has been a very hard decision for us to make. We are fans, first and foremost, and DCC is a big part of who we are. These shows are a labour of love and it is not a decision taken lightly.
At the moment Comic Con visitors have the option to transfer their ticket to the new event or can be reimbursed while DTS visitors tickets can be transferred to DTS 2021 taking place on the 21 – 22 April 2021 at the RDS Dublin or can be moved to the new event (no talk of refunds for the time being).
I would argue that Huawei is about to launch a phone in the most dramatic circumstances ever. Covid-19 could be limiting the supply chain of parts required to build new phones while uncertainty remains around the U.S/China Google/Huawei proxy war. While I’ve already highlighted this could shift from being Huawei without Google to Google without Huawei, uncertainty remains around the launch of the P40 Series. Beyond the usual spec rumours, there are more questions around how many Google features the new phones will have and how this will be received. It’s time for a rumour-mill post. Here’s what we know and what we think we know so far.
Last month, it was confirmed at Huawei’s Barcelona event that the P40 Series would be launched on March 26th. It would also appear that the Chinese manufacturer will opt for an online video streamed launch event rather than the original planned Paris launch event.
Huawei confirmed that “due to growing public health concerns, the Huawei flagship product launch, originally scheduled to be held in Paris on March 26th, will now be delivered online”.
What Phones Will Huawei Launch?
This is an interesting question, partially confirmed. I’d expect to see Huawei launch the usual suspects:
Huawei P40 Lite
Huawei P40
Huawei P40 Pro
You might be tempted to loosely map these to Samsung’s offerings:
Samsung Galaxy S20
Samsung Galaxy S20+
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
It’s fairer to map the P40 to the Galaxy S20 and the P40 Pro to the Galaxy Ultra. The P40 Lite is really offering some brilliant specs for a bargain price.
The really interesting thing is that Huawei has already launched the P40 Lite in some markets. For example, you can buy the P40 Lite in Spain right now. My gut tells me this is to gauge interest in a non-Google Mobile Services phone. In the fine print, Huawei uses some interesting language including that Google Mobile Services doesn’t come “pre-installed” on the P40 Lite. I’ve been test-driving the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and can tell you that sideloading is fairly straight forward, even if Google doesn’t recommend you do it.
The beauty of the P40 Lite being launched is that we get to see some hints for what lies ahead for the rest of the P40 Series. I’m not going to go into the P40 Lite itself because it’s already on the market.
P40 Series: To Google Or Not To Google
The P40 Lite, as if we needed it, confirms that Huawei will not be shipping with Google Mobile Services. Instead, the focus from Huawei now is very much getting apps onto the Huawei AppGallery.
For some, this is going to be a deal-breaker. For the tech-savvy, it’s not. While Google advises against sideloading Google Mobile Services, the practice is quite straight forward. Once sideloaded, your phone will operate with the vast majority of Google apps and services. One exception being Google Pay, but Huawei is working on a solution to that problem too in Huawei Pay.
P40 Series Cameras
The “P” in the series name is believed to stand for photography. While I’ve been enjoying the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, the camera largely doesn’t cut it when it comes to a comparison with the P30 Pro. With the exception of some portrait shots, the P30 Pro reigns supreme. With that in mind, you can expect to see some pretty mind-blowing specs for the P40 Pro camera.
When Huawei launched the P20 Series, there was a shift in the market where Huawei earned a lot of clout. The amazing thing about that launch was Samsung launching the S9 with an ad campaign that heavily featured Samsung’s camera. Unfortunately for Samsung, their camera couldn’t stand up to that of the P20 Pro.
2020 could see the focus return to the camera. Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra has a mighty camera and it’ll be this camera that the P40 Pro takes aim at. The public advertisement for Huawei’s launch event shows that the smartphone maker will be embracing quite a large camera array bump.
Credit: Evan Blass | @evleaks Twitter
It looks like the P40 Pro will feature five lenses on the rear of the phone. As always, these will be engineered with Leica and as such should be incredible quality. In addition to the time-of-flight, main camera and an ultra-wide lens, I’d expect to see the return of Huawei’s periscope lens which led to the stunning zoom of the P30 Pro. Around the front, you’ll get two selfie camera. More on their setup a little later.
In addition to some pretty impressive hardware, Huawei’s AI-powered photo software is probably going to be market-leading again. The Kirin 990 chip allows for some incredible object and facial recognition and separation. The result is an incredible portrait and bokeh shots. All the rage these days.
Huawei P40 Series Display
This is one of the most interesting developments. From the leaks I’ve seen so far and also leaning on the P40 Lite, it looks like the P40 Series will have pin-hole selfie cameras in the screen. Overall, the screen probably won’t be as high quality as the likes of Samsung. From my experience, this is most noticeable in sunlight and in day-to-day usage doesn’t impact user experience that much.
5G As Standard
The P40 Series is rumoured to be 5G as standard. I’m not convinced the P40 Lite will follow suit, but it would make sense if this was the case for the P40 and P40 Pro. This would be a bonus for Vodafone and Eir customers as their networks currently support 5G in limited locations.
Unfortunately, that’s all we really know right now. Or all we think we know anyway. The launch of the P40 Series could very well bring with it plenty of surprises as Huawei battles to make a name for itself as even more of a competitor to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
The media free-for-all. Organisations know now is the time to release news customers wont like. There’s a good chance some news is going to slip the net right now for obvious reasons. One news story which hasn’t slipped the net is Allied Irish Bank (AIB) introducing charges for day-to-day banking. Here’s what will be charged for and, more importantly, how you can avoid these charges using Revolut or Curve.
What Charges Will AIB Introduce?
From the end of May, AIB will increase the cost of personal banking for some consumers. Unless you have a student account, graduate account, basic bank account, are over 66 or have a current account with a mortgage, you will now face:
A quarterly €4.50 maintenance fee
One cent charge per contactless transaction
Getting money at an ATM will cost 35 cent
Over the counter transactions will cost 39 cent
If you’re one of AIB’s affected customers, you’ll be paying considerably more money for having an account. According to Bonkers.ie, the average customer will likely grab cash from an ATM five times in a month, make five chip and pin transactions, 10 direct debits and 31 contactless payments per month. This customer would now be charged €6.56 a month or just under €80 a year.
Speaking about entertainment in the past, I’ve used the term “death by a thousand cuts” and this is just another addition to that whole idea. We’re all slowly having the pennies dragged out of us by services and banks. The good news is that there are free ways we can avoid charges for day-to-day banking.
Avoiding AIB’s Day-to-day Banking Fees
The first way to avoid AIB’s fees is to be a customer with a student account, graduate account, basic bank account, are over 66 or have a current account with a mortgage. However, for the many who don’t fall into these categories, what options are there?
Get a Revolut Account
Revolut is a truly digital bank. They a digital bank to the point where they have no physical buildings or ATMs. This means they don’t have the same running costs. The result is savings passed onto customers. Because of this, I’ve sung the praises of Revolut for many years now.
It’s free to get a Revolut account. Premium membership is an option but it’s far from necessary. There are many benefits to having a Revolut account. I love mine when travelling because I can use my card in local currency. I even used it in South Korea last year, always paying the best live interbank exchange rate at the time of transaction.
Other benefits include being able to pay on websites like Amazon or ASOS in Sterling instead of using their own exchange rates and of course, being able to split bills and transfer money to friends instantly.
But that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to avoid AIB fees. When you have a Revolut account, you can top up your account instantly using the card of another bank. For me, I have my own debit cards, credit cards and my better halves debit card connected to my Revolut account. This means with the click of a button I can add money from anywhere. By adding your AIB card to your Revolut you can avoid day-to-day banking fees simply by transferring funds into your Revolut account you’ll now have a new card to pay with or withdraw cash where fees are no longer an issue.
Revolut does have some limits on free cash withdrawals, but the savings alone for contactless and chip and pin payments means you could make a sizeable saving. I’ve reached out to Revolut to see if there would still be fees paid every time you top up your account.
Sign up to Revolut using this link and you’ll get some sort of benefit. It changes on a regular basis.*
Get a Curve Card
I’m honestly shocked more people don’t have a Curve Card. I find mine extremely handy. In search of the best digital bank, I’ve ended up with many accounts in my name. I have a Revolut debit card, a Bank of Ireland debit card and both KBC debit and credit cards. I use a Secrid wallet so space in there is a premium. I don’t want to be carrying around loads of cards unnecessarily.
Instead, I just have to carry a Curve Card. Quite honestly, I’m not even sure how it works but it’s brilliant. The Curve card itself looks like any regular debit card. The difference is that your Curve card represents another account. Using the Curve app, I link my bank cards to Curve and then select which card I want to pay with.
The benefits of this for me was the fact that me and my partner use my of Bank of Ireland account as a joint account. I leave her with the card but always have the Curve card in my wallet linked to that Bank of Ireland card. It’s great because my Bank of Ireland account doesn’t allow for multiple cards on the account. A handy workaround.
While Revolut is the safer option, my theory here is that when you pay with a Curve card, you sidestep the fees. I’ve reached out to them to see if this is the case.
Regardless, Curve is certainly handy and might be worth having anyway.
Sign up for Curve using this link and you’ll get a fiver, just for signing up.*
Update: Curve responded to my query stating “from our understanding, AIB are going to start charging fees for all transactions that are contactless, POS or ATM withdrawals, regardless of the merchant.
Unfortunately you may still incur these fees when using Curve as we pass on the MCC code to your bank. The merchant category code holds information that allows your bank to see how you’ve paid and if it was a cash withdrawal.”
* This is a referral link. This means, by signing up using this link you’ll get a benefit like a free card, or some money in your account. Generally speaking, it means I’ll get something too. I wrote this article to help you save money, not to promote a product I don’t believe in. I use both Revolut and Curve daily and know they are great services.
It’s finally happening! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Warzone has officially landed…..and it’s totally free to play. Not going to lie, this is BIG! On Monday the COD official Twitter page confirmed that the brand spanking new PUBG & Fortniteesque, Battle Royale has arrived. It’s available as both an add on to the existing game and as a full free download for those of us who aren’t already avid COD fans. The download size will be between 15 and 22GB for those who already own the title, whereas the game will be about 80-100GB for those who don’t. Check out the trailer:
This looks mad…According to Activision, COD: Modern Warfare Warzone will drop 150 players into a map to play one of two game modes. Plunder or Battle Royale. I Plunder, you’ll have to collect the most cash by looting items on the map, stealing your enemies’ money, and/or completing Contracts but we’ll get to them later. Battle Royale is exactly the mode you think it is, but the shrinking “circle” will be in the form of encroaching gas AKA real war styling and wait for it……Warzone will support cross platform play and progression, allowing you to form a squad of three across PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
When does Warzone launch?
March 10th but the time you can play will differ depending on whether or not you already own the Modern Warfare title. Owners of the game can start playing from 8am, once they have completed the 15-22GB download and those with the Modern Warfare season pass can continue their progress in Warzone.
However those of us who wouldn’t be the biggest COD fans and don’t already own Modern Warfare will have to wait until 12 and after we complete the whopping 80-100GB download (better hope you’ve the space). There’s also going to be a pile of content for these players that will transfer into the main title if you decide to buy in the future.
There’s one more caveat to consider, PC gamers will need a Battle.Net account, Xboxers need an Xbox Live sub but PS4 gamers can play without a PS Plus sub.
Battle Royale
Not unlike PUBG or Fortnite, it’s gonna be a blood free for all. 150 players will be dropped into a map in squads of three. Players will jump out of a plane and land on the map with only a handgun in the armoury. On hitting the ground, your squad must search for weapons while fighting the other players on the map. During the game, a gas begins to spread to close in the map, a circle will appear on the map indicating the safe area within it, and it will shrink over time. The team that survives until the end wins. Simple!
Weapons and armor can be found all across the map. There are also five vehicles for traveling: ATVs, SUVs, cargo trucks, tactical rovers and helicopters. Each will vary on how many people they can carry, how fast they can travel and how much armor they’re equipped with.
Gulags a potential gamechanger
In literally every single Battle Royale game, when a player is downed, they’re eliminated from the game. But with Warzone that’s not the case. Once you’ve been appropriately killed, you will enter a Gulag. This is a one v one versus another recently outed gamer to decide who gets a second shot at the battle. Otherwise you will have to wait on your team to purchase a redeployment to rejoin the game.
What are Contracts?
Contracts are another feature not commonly found in Battle Royale games but damn they look cool. These are team based tasks only available during the game where squads have one contract active at a time, and they’ll vary from having the team open a certain number of Supply Boxes to defending a location. Once completed, the squad will receive money, loot and special abilities such as being able to see where the circle will move to next on the map.
Is this “money” useable?
As in life, money is going to be a key resource in COD: Modern Warfare Warzone. Players are going to be able to spend their hard earned cash money at these “Buy Stations”, these are shown as a shopping cart icon and can be found in various points across the maps. This money can be used at these stations to buy Redeploy Tokens to revive dead squadmates. You can also get self-revive kits and kill streaks which are special actions to give you a temporary upgrade or weapon to eliminate multiple players. Right now we’ve no idea what exactly these kill streak weapons are but if the normal game is anything to go buy these are going to be very important.
At a guess they will be powered down from their Modern Warfare multiplayer versions for the sake of creating a more balanced battle royale mode.
What’s Plunder?
Plunder is a second mode included in Warzone. Unlike battle royale, the objective in Plunder is to obtain the most money. Squads will have to work together to find the most cash whether it’s done by completing Contracts or taking out other players. Buy Stations in Plunder will have additional items for purchase that will help secure some funds as the match progresses.
Worth Playing?
Ah yeah, even though I’m not a fan of COD or even the likes of Fornite, this is a huge move from Activision as they have seen their online game drop off with the amount of users moving to Battle Royale games. As a free game, you’d be mad to not at least give it a shot.
It was just a few years ago. We’re maybe talking less than two and a half years ago. I would see people obsessing over craft beers and think they were quite silly. Big wanna be sommelier heads on them. Yet, I sit here now, sipping on a gorgeous double IPA called Ether by O Brother Brewing, preparing to review my favourite craft beer app, Untappd.
My Journey With Alcohol
Some of this is going to sound almost romantic, but remember to drink responsibly. I don’t think I legally have to say that, but it’s sound advice regardless. Personally, I’m only really getting into craft beer so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. I genuinely don’t even know who Sam Calagione is.
The whole craft beer movement is just a little mad. My journey through finding an alcoholic beverage of choice had hardly been that exciting. My first drinks were sweet cider. In college, I started to sample beers, but I found diversity lay between Dutch Gold and Bud Light. With fulltime work came Corona and even Desperados. Fast forward a couple of years and I could finally enjoy wine with dinner before truly discovering the joy of a pint of plain. It was with the pint of plain came the joy of chasing. Brandy and port would be the appetiser, the pint of Guinness my main. Jameson and ginger-ale then became the new staple. I rather strong drink I was well able to handle.
Alongside the pint of plain stood Smithwicks. As a Kilkenny man, it’s only proper that the red ale of home was arguably the biggest turning point for me. With my palette rather enjoying Smithwicks, I became open to trying some mainstream ales and very different lagers. Before long, it was just ales and just a short time later, it was craft beers. Namely, it was, as it was for many, Sierra Nevada.
Now, it’s not uncommon for me to detour on the way home and spend twenty minutes picking out the perfect crafties for me evening. It’s no longer about value for money but about picking something I’ll really enjoy.
The Craft Beer Movement
I’m still rather ignorant when it comes to much of the craft beer movement. For me, craft beers are the small to medium colourful cans which cost quite a bit and come in many colours. Naturally, I understand that craft beer typically come from smaller breweries in comparison to the likes of Guinness and (shudder) Budweiser, but craft breweries can be quite sizeable too.
Dublin has recently seen a Brewdog open. I’ve frequented Brewdog on many occasions already and was in the first 100 people to be in the bar when it opened. The bar is rocking nearly every evening despite being quite a bit off the beaten track. Brewdog is considered a craft brewery from which many craft beer bars have grown from. The food is excellent and the selections of beers, ales, wines and gin is remarkable. The prices remain fairly hefty, but as an Equity Punk, I’m saving 5% on every transaction (20% during the day). Indeed, the Brewdog app has become my second favourite craft beer app.
But even as I write all of this, it seems bizarre to me. Craft beers really have grown from a niche area of the market to a dominant section of your local off-licence. Mine is Molloy’s Off Licence on Francis Street, and boy oh boy what a selection they have to offer.
But it’s here, in the off licence I realised how helpful an app can be.
Untappd: Your Crafty Buddy
Normally, the staff in Molloy’s come over and give you a hand navigating the vast array of cans on show. But this one time they were particularly busy. I was left to my own devices and had no idea what to pick. Well, I had narrowed it down to some DIPAs, but in truth, that doesn’t narrow it down a whole lot at all.
I had been testing out the Untappd app lately, logging a few drinks I’ve had. I’ve tried a few, but Untapped is the best craft beer app I’ve found.
If I’m honest, I find it much easier to log my drinks than I do my exercise in MyFitnessPal. But, as much as I’ve enjoyed logging my drinks, the real winner for the Untappd app is discovery. Standing in Molloy’s, I was able to see what other punters had bought in the offy. Cycling through their choices and reviews, I quickly picked out four tasty cans. Right now, I’m on my second DIPA. Turned out it was a draught drink I had in Brewdog which was now available in Molloy’s in a can. I’m a very happy man indeed.
The Negative
At this point, I’m realising that this review is barely touching on what Untappd actually does, yet I’ve described the most important aspect. Having an app to help you pick out your craft beer is priceless when you’re a newbie to the scene like I am. There’s a social aspect to the app and a gamification aspect too as you collect tokens along the way. Being honest, I’m a little uncomfortable with this side of things.
Tasting beers and enjoying them is great, but I don’t like the idea of ploughing through beers trying to collect imaginary badges. As soon as I unlocked one and could feel that “Candy Crush” gaming feel, I did feel a little odd with the idea of Untappd.
The Handy
While mentioning “gamification”, another positive did come to mind with Untappd. It made me think of Pokémon randomly and the idea of catching them all. Certain craft beers are gems. They’re taught to find and some even spend an age hoping one of their favourites appears in the locality. Take the Cannonball Beer range. Apparently, the whole story with this range is that it needs to ship quickly because the flavour is reduced with every passing day. You can find this range of beers in your app and set a notification to alert you should someone else in your area check in with this beer. Handy to make sure you don’t miss out on any superstar crafties in your area.
If you’re reading this and thinking it’s a pile of ned, don’t worry. I get it. I used to be like you too. But now, I just totally get the craft beer movement. I’m not entirely sure what the draw of it all is, but I get it. If wine can have sommeliers, sure why can’t craft beer have enthusiasts too. When I went through my wine phase, I had Vivino and now I have Untappd.
The Typical
Do you remember Foursquare? Well, that’s the engine behind this app. As such, checking in at bars, breweries and shops is still at the core of Untappd. It’s a social gamification app much like the original Foursquare was. The big difference now, of course, is that everything is focused on beer.
Within the app, you can check-in at bars, leave comments of your favourite beers with some lovely pics too. You’ll even be able to rate your beer and tag it with the characteristics you noticed. The app will show you some aggregated tags too which helps you along if you’re finding your way.
I’ve been reading a few guides lately which point out some of the tech and apps that will help you work from home. These guides have grown in popularity following a number of Irish companies telling their employees to work from home. However, while really helpful, these guides are probably more helpful for employers who need to work out what their employees need. So in this guide, I’m going to give you, the employee, some hopefully helpful advice to make working from home a little easier.
Are More People Working From Home?
Generally speaking, tech companies offer working from home or remote working as a draw to bring in additional talent. It’s been increasing in Ireland for years with more traditional companies now jumping on the bandwagon too. Today, 6.5% of workers in Ireland have the option to work from home. While it’s beneficial for companies to attract the best employees, remote working also offers unique protections for employers too.
Working from home has become an important fallback position for companies facing the possibility of a mass requirement for remote working in the event that something should happen in Ireland. Right now, companies like Google, Indeed, Primark and Vodafone are running test scenarios to see how remote-ready they are and I fully expect this to increase. It’s financially responsible for companies to test how ready they are for mass remote working.
The problem with most guides I’ve read so far is that they focus on the tech required to allow people to work from home. It’s up to employers to make sure their staff have things like laptops, WiFi, VPNs and messaging apps. If you’re told to work from home, your employer likely has arranged all of this and started telling you to bring home your laptop every night in case they make the decision overnight that you shouldn’t come to the office.
Employers are missing one massive element – helping staff work efficiently from home
But in concentrating on the physical infrastructure required to enable people to work from home, employers are missing one massive element – helping staff work efficiently from home.
Tips To Help You Work Efficiently From Home
With all that said, here are some tips to help you work more efficiently from home.
Commute To Your Home Office
You’ve heard it said before, but humans are creatures of habit. For me, I wake up at the same time, snooze for the same amount of time and even spend the same amount of time scrolling through Twitter before jumping in the shower and walking to the office. I’ve found the odd time that I work from home that one of the hardest parts is getting started because I’m breaking my morning routine.
I just spotted this tip on Twitter and I love it.
Here's a tip that my remote team does – When you get up in the morning, if you're willing and able, try COMMUTING to your home office! Go for a circle around your neighborhood and arrive back home to your home/remote office! It psychologically marks the start and end of the day.
There are so many positives when it comes to commuting to your own home office. It keeps your routine in order, gets you some fresh air and lets you grab a coffee on the way home too if you like. That might even mean a small face to face social interaction with someone.
Now, obviously, if you drive to the office don’t just in the car. Just walk around the block where you live or go for a twenty-minute stroll. Do all of this before you even go near your laptop or check emails.
Actually Use Video Conferencing
All of my webcams are covered. I love tech, but I do hate when a salesperson insists on a Skype call and my webcam kicks in. However, in the event your entire office is suddenly remote working, video conferencing properly can be really important. First of all, you’d be surprised how often a visual cue helps someone understand what you’re saying. It can really help to get a point across.
Arguably, even more important is the social element of keeping in touch with other people. Remote working does bring with it a disconnection with your colleagues. It’s easy for a problem to turn into everyone becoming a keyboard warrior where problems used to be solved with a kind face-to-face desk drop.
Arrange a video lunch with a colleague to catch up
If you find yourself without a reason to video call anyone, why not arrange a video lunch with a colleague to catch up?
Actually, on that point.
Be Sure To Take Your Breaks
Part routine and part avoiding burnout. Personally, I’ve noticed that I remember to take a break around half-past five. Yup, when I should be finishing up! If you work with your feet up and the telly on, you can easily work away for the day without realising time is slipping away.
Add your lunch break to your calendar or, like I mentioned above, arrange a video lunch date with a colleague.
Organise A Work Space
I’m not going to tell you to work from a dedicated room, from your kitchen table, from your couch or your bed. Because there’s no right or wrong place to work from when you’re working from home. I live in a one-bed apartment and space is a premium. Without thinking about it, I initially worked on the couch. After a few hours, I could tell this wasn’t impacting efficiency too much, but the couch wasn’t ergonomic at all.
That’s why I now make the effort to take out the folding dining table. This gives me two options regards my workspace as I can sit at the table to stand while using my Deskmate standup desk.
Have you ever really enjoyed eating lunch at your desk?
Perhaps even more important is the fact that this now means I have the couch to move to for lunch or when I want to take a quick break. Keeping work and break space separate is also of psychological importance. Think about it. Have you ever really enjoyed eating lunch at your desk?
Tidying And Other Chores Are For Your Breaks
Working from home doesn’t mean housework.
If you need to put on a wash or need to do the dishes, this should be done before work, during lunch or after work. Try to treat things like the housework as you would when you’re in the office. Of course, if the dishes are staring at you and impacting your work, prioritise doing them during your lunch break, but not when you’re supposed to be on a conference call with your boss. Remember, particularly if you’re working in a small space, that turning on the washing machine could be rather annoying if you need to sit working near it for the next two hours.
It’s really important that you communicate really clearly with your housemates or family that this is still worktime. Obviously, you’re not a robot, but ensuring everyone knows you have a really important deadline to meet will give you a better chance of focus. If you do expect to share your space, getting some noise cancelling headphones might be an idea too.
Take Advantage Of Being Home
Hitting a slump? Jump in the shower.
Can’t solve a problem? Go for a walk outside.
Hungry, grab a snack from the fridge.
You’re at home! While a lot of what I’ve said so far is about replicating habits to try and trick your brain into thinking it’s in a routine, use your surroundings. The best feeling in the world is knowing you’re feeling that slump vibe that hits you in the office, but also knowing you can take twenty and grab a shower. Trust me, it’s amazing.
The one thing to watch out for is the likes of snacking. With no one else around you’ll probably feel less conscious about grabbing a hape of snacks. Try to keep an eye on going overboard with the no eyes being on you!
Do A Dry Run
I’m going to finish on this point. Talk to your employer and ask them if you can do a dry run working from home. This means working from home when you can still go to the office should you hit any snags.
Alternatively, take your things home on the weekend and set aside ten minutes to test your setup. Take back this time through a quick break when you actually work from home.
Depending on your business, working from home could require quite a few things to align. Particularly fussy are businesses with closed systems where you require a VPN or RSA token to access the corporate network. Ensuring you have all of this in working order is crucial to successful remote working. In the event your entire office is told to work from home, you can be sure a large number of people will have issues. This means increased IT support tickets and longer response times to your problem.
If you can remedy these problems before a mass work from home protocol is enacted, you’ll safe yourself a lot of stress.
Have some tips that have worked for you? Let us know in the comments below and we might add them to this article.
GamerFest returns to Limerick City this March 7th & 8th, with 2,000 gamers and YouTuber fans descending on Limerick’s iconic Thomond Park Stadium! This year’s festival promises even more gaming action and live entertainment than last year’s hugely succesful event.
This is a festival for anyone who loves huge games like Fortnite and FIFA 20, YouTubers, Live Stage Entertainment, Virtual Reality, Cosplay and the massively popular Retro Gaming craze! The event welcomes visitors of all ages and skill levels, from casual enthusiasts to the most dedicated gamers! We’re delighted to have been asked to come back and cover the event last year, especially as the scene has grown since last years event and the Insomnia Festival being a success in Dublin.
Fortnite will be a huge part of GamerFest Limerick, including a Fortnite competition taking place on each day of the festival with loads of prizes and giveaways. YouTuber special guests will also be playing Fortnite on the GamerFest Live Stage with some lucky visitors invited on stage to show off their skills!
GamerFest also brings other major esports competition to Limerick including FIFA 20 and Tekken 7 with loads of prizes for the ultimate winners.
Live Stage
Our CeX Live Stage is going to be packed with awesome entertainment and live gaming action, YouTuber appearances and competition giveaways. Join All Cast Irish Gamers, Antitinkerbell, Nintendo Impact Gaming, Guild of Nerds and more as they take to the stage and afterward meet their fans.
We’ll have some awesome Cosplay entertainment throughout the festival, with the much anticipated Cosplay Competition taking place on the Sunday of the festival. So get your costumes out and come along for a great weekend’s entertainment!
GamerFest also brings you back to where it all started, with the inclusion of an awesome RetroZone, where you can play all the classic consoles and arcade machines. Retro gaming will blow your mind and show you those timeless consoles like Mega Drive and Super Nintendo that have truly stood the test of time!
And finally, our Merch Market will bring you all the latest in gaming gear, including head sets, brand new titles and exclusive GamerFest deals. Speak with our experts for the best advice and the best deals!
FAQs
Are there tickets available for children?
*Children 3 and under go free. Discounted U16s tickets are available for €14.95 plus ticket fees.
What are the opening times?
Saturday & Sunday: Doors open at 10.00am for VIP tickets and 11.00am for General Admission tickets.
Doors close at 5.00pm on Saturday and 5.00pm on Sunday
Are there weekend tickets?
No, single tickets are available for each day of the event.
What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?
GamerFest Limerick is held in Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick City. The venue is a 10 minute walk from Colbert St. bus and train stations offering excellent access to the event, with complimentary parking available at the stadium. For a full breakdown of directions and parking options please visit http://thomondpark.ie/limerick-conference-facility/location-directions/
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Yes, you must print your ticket and bring your print out with you for scanning. If you have your ticket available to scan on your smartphone this is also acceptable.
Is my registration fee or ticket transferrable?
No, we are afraid not.
Is it ok if the name on my ticket or registration doesn’t match the person who attends?
The name on the ticket does not matter (ie if you have done a group purchase and your name is on all tickets, that will not cause any issues to entry)
We’ve teamed up with Gamerfest to give one lucky person the two VIP tickets to the show, as long as you’re over 18, just fill in the form below and we will announce the winner on March 6th.
In recent years, the smartphone industry had grown a little stale. Apple seemed to be holding back their best tech to launch slightly upgraded phones every year. Samsung was pushing the envelope a little further but they only ever really needed to offer enough to be ahead of Apple’s iPhone. Sony was the next in line without ever really challenging before the likes of Nokia, HTC and even Google entering the market left us all feeling underwhelmed.
Huawei brought something new to the table. Their hardware was market leading with the Huawei P20 Pro revolutionising smartphone photography and this phone’s success shone new light on the Chinese manufacturer as a world-leading phone maker as the company became the second-biggest shipper of phones.
Involuntarily, Huawei has also made discussion about smartphones exciting again, a result of the U.S. trade war with China and the knock-on effect this has had on Huawei’s ability to utilise Google Apps.
However, following the Barcelona launch of the Huawei Mate Xs and with the P40 Series launching in March this year, Huawei has started to control the narrative and tell the story they want to tell. That story is one of ambition, enthusiasm and desire to shake up the mobile telecoms industry. And it seems to be working.
The Proxy War: Huawei versus Google
Few could have predicted Donald Trump’s election to the presidency of the United States. Even fewer could see this eventually impacting the sales of smartphones in the way Trump’s time in office has. While Google is often singled out as being the villain in Huawei’s tale, the truth is they are another bystander being caught in the crossfire. Whether it be personal or founded in some sort of intelligence, Trump doesn’t trust China. Or, maybe he does and this is all just a business play. Regardless, Trump has decided that he would publically display his stance on China through his treatment of Huawei.
The U.S. President passed an executive order which forbids U.S-based companies from supplying Huawei with products and services unless they were granted a special licence. Without this licence, Google was no longer able to provide Huawei with access to Google Mobile Services. As a result, Huawei could no longer sell phones with GMS installed. For consumers this meant no Gmail, Google Maps or Google Play Store, to name but a few. The Huawei P30 Series launched without a hitch, but the Mate 30 Series and Huawei’s first folding phone, the Mate X, were stalled because of the inability to sell these phones with Google Mobile Services.
That’s the long and the short of the debate to date. Google and Huawei have become proxies for the United States and China. The result is consumer confidence in Huawei was shaken as people were uncertain as to when they would be able to buy a Huawei phone with Google Mobile Services again.
With this comes the lens this entire debate has been looked at through since the very start. Many believed the secret to Huawei’s future success was intertwined with their ability to, somehow, get Google Mobile Services back on Huawei phones. We were all looking at this from the wrong angle.
The Best Form of Defense is Attack
I’m from Kilkenny. In Kilkenny we love hurling. From a young age, you learn that the best form of defence is attack. Rather than sitting back to see what your opposition will do next, you take back control and decide for yourself. This is the approach Huawei has adopted.
For Huawei, there was only one thing worse than losing access to Google Mobile Services and that’s the uncertainty that brought with it. Question marks surrounded the future of Huawei in Europe, would we see a P40 Series launch here at all or would Huawei simply focus on the Chinese market which never required Google Mobile Services anyway.
Instead of sitting back and waiting for Trump’s mercy to allow them access to Google’s Mobile Services platform, Huawei gave their own platform, Huawei Mobile Services, a gentle nudge out into the water.
It floated.
Huawei would need to develop this idea further. I sat in Barcelona at Huawei’s latest launch event and watched their CEO, Richard Yu, launch the latest suite of products Huawei would bring to market. I’m a gadget nerd, so this is normally my favourite part of the show. Not this time as one very different slide stood out to me as being a definite line in the sand being drawn.
Huawei presents a slide in Barcelona showing their new position as an alternative for iOS and GMS Core.
This image showed Huawei’s plans had far surpassed using Huawei Mobile Services as a backup plan. No longer was the strategy to develop a safety net for Google not being available on Huawei phones. Instead, the strategy was, in Richard Yu’s words, to offer consumers an alternative to Apple and Google. The plan was now to defend Huawei’s position in the market by attacking and creating a genuine alternative to the American options of Apple and Google.
But, can they really do it?
Huawei Mobile Services: Can It Work?
The natural comparison many draws here is Microsoft’s Windows Phone. Ultimately, despite a few reasonably impressive phones, Windows Phone was a failure. You could argue that it set the scene for a continued duopoly between Applen and Google when it came to smartphone operating systems. While not necessarily by choice, Huawei has now found itself as challenging more than just manufacturers for market share, but challenging operating systems and their app platforms for dominance.
In a relatively short period of time, Huawei Mobile Services has gathered momentum. While clearly in the early stages of rollout, it became quite clear that the Chinese tech giant was going to back HMS with the funds needed to push beyond simply floating. Incentives to developers and increased efficiency in getting apps ported for the new Huawei AppGallery has seen the Huawei platform swell considerably in a very short period of time. It’s impossible to ignore that plenty of apps are still missing but Huawei is targeting the top 100 apps in every region and incentivising them to move onto HMS.
While many have discussed the option of sideloading Google Mobile Services, officially speaking, Google has denounced this and recommended against sideloading for what it’s calling security reasons. It’s also hardly a consumer-friendly process but the truth of the matter is that Huawei doesn’t envisage a future where you need to sideload Google Mobile Services either. The plan is now to develop Huawei Mobile Services to the point where it matches or betters the Google equivalent.
Huawei will likely depend on consumers geared more towards early adopters in the short term, but in one to two years, HMS could rival GMS to the point where users really aren’t all that bothered. These consumers can once again return to focusing on hardware.
What advantage does Huawei have when it comes to challenging this tech duopoly of Google and Apple?
It comes down to China.
Success With China at the Core
Many believe Huawei burst onto the scene with the P20 Pro a few years back, but the truth is that the company has been around for quite some time. The P20 Series was the first major success in markets like the EU but Huawei has been huge in China for a long time. In fact, in China, Huawei holds a grasp over 36% of the Chinese market which doesn’t need Google Mobile Services. This is the key to Huawei’s potential success. Microsoft was learning too much when it came to hardware and software in a market they were far from familiar with.
Huawei, on the other hand, is working towards building an eco-system which could potentially rival Apple’s. At the centre of this eco-system is the smartphone and at the heart of that smartphone is Huawei Mobile Services.
Will users need to be patient? Almost certainly. For example, I love Google Pay but despite confirming to me in Barcelona that Huawei Pay would be expanded beyond China, Hong Kong and Russia, Richard Yu also stated he couldn’t be sure if this would happen in 2020 or 2021. The big point here is that Huawei owns a large proportion of a market which doesn’t or can’t have Google. Now they need to port that to wider markets. This is much lesser of a challenge than what Microsoft faced.
Huawei and Ireland: It Means Even More
Now, if you think I’m biased for whatever reason, I can tell you I’m not. But I won’t shy away from saying I like Huawei. Their hardware is fantastic and in recent years I believe Samsung has started to up their game to try and keep up with the Chinese smartphone maker. Also, Huawei is laying it on thick when it comes to local markets. Speaking at a press conference in Barcelona, Richard Yu explained that becoming a part of local society where Huawei existed as an option for consumers was key.
In Ireland, Huawei has founded a research and development centre and now even runs its entire cloud business out of Dublin. Last year, the StorySign campaign saw localised engagement with hearing-impaired children. This campaign brought the power of mobile processing, Irish Sign Language and Irish children’s books together to help give children with hearing impairments a better reading experience.
Huawei’s further commitment to HMS suggests their going nowhere and as a result, there could be exciting times ahead for the Irish market hosting a Chinese tech giant who is moving quickly to not only survive but to excel.
Is Google Worried?
I’ve been reading plenty of headlines and articles which suggest Google may regret what’s happened here. It’s a touch harsh because I don’t believe much blame lies at the feet of Google at all. However, this could have very serious implications for Google. Let’s not forget, that Huawei will use the Android system and shows no sign of bringing forward their own operating system – but they probably could.
Huawei’s advances with HMS to replace GMS is a massive shot across the bow of Google. No doubt, it’s shown that Huawei will no longer take a back seat in this journey and see what happens. They’re in the driving seat now and Google seems to be a little bit worried.
In what looks like a reactive move from Google following the Barcelona slide showing Huawei AppGallery as competition, Google has resubmitted a request a license from the U.S government to be allowed to do business with Huawei again. Huawei has already received similar licenses such as those granted to Microsoft last year which allowed the continued production and expansion of the MateBook series.
The result of this request from Google is still absolutely up in the air, but it’s left me wondering if this has already gone too far to come back from?
Will Huawei Use Google Mobile Services Again?
There’s a phrase I heard years ago and it’s stuck with me. “Never build your house on rented land”.
Never build your house on rented land
This can absolutely be applied to Huawei. In the past, they focused on the hardware while allowing Google to worry about the vast majority of the software. Effectively, Huawei had built their house on rented land. As a result, the land was sold from underneath them when the U.S. government insisted Google stop working with the Chinese phone maker.
A lot is going to happen in 2020. Huawei will launch the Mate Xs and the P40 Series. These phones will be launched without Google Mobile Services, instead opting for Huawei Mobile Services.
Huawei has also teamed up with the Dutch mapping company TomTom so it can offer a credible alternative to the much loved Google Maps. We could see the first Huawei Maps app being launched with the Huawei P40 Series. Actually, the P40 Series could see a lot of Huawei announcements. The very fact Huawei is now knuckling down and preparing to launch their popular flagship with just HMS on-board certainly suggests one thing. There’s no going back to the uncertainty of Google Mobile Services.
If Huawei is successful in building a credible alternative to Google, the telecoms market will see the greatest seismic shift, arguably, since the touchscreen smartphone appeared on shelves. I said it’s time to reframe this discussion and that could be that we’re looking at a future where Google doesn’t have Huawei and not Huawei without Google.
Whatever happens, we’re going to be in for one hell of a ride. Smartphone news just got fun again.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, well for us anyway because the latest and greatest smartphones of the year have just been announced. Martin was recently in Barcelona for the launch of the new Huawei range,Samsung have just announced the Ultra 20 range and now Sony have entered the fray with the upcoming release of of its first flagship 5G enabled handset. With the 21:9 ratio and pumped up camera the Sony Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) is set to be their best handset to date, built for speed so you can create or just enjoy quality imagery and video in style.
A Quick SnapShot
Lets take a quick look at the top lying specs we are set to see:
Triple lens camera incorporating industry leading Sony Alpha technology
Industry-leading autofocus camera technology offers up to 20 fps burst shootingwith 60 times per second
Cinematography Pro “powered by CineAlta” can record in multiple frame rates and offer more manual controls such as touch auto focus and custom white balance to enhance cinematographic shooting experiences
21:9 CinemaWide 6.5” 4K HDR OLED display
Dolby Atmos® sound, tuned in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment
New 360 Reality Audiowith unique hardware decoding to optimise sound quality
Next Generation 5G connectivity and Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 5G Mobile Platform, with high capacity
4000mAh battery with wireless charging for optimal speed and performance
X1™ for mobile based on technology from BRAVIA® TV
“Sony is uniquely positioned with our wide portfolio in the era of 5G,” said Mitsuya Kishida, President of Sony Mobile Communications. “Xperia with 5G takes your mobile experience to the next level.”
High Speed Shooting
The Sony Xperia 1 II has been designed to get the biggest bang for their buck from the camera. Huawei have revolutionized the photography space in recent years but Sony have always been solid performers, do they have something this year to compete? Maybe.
Designed with Sony’s Alpha industry-leading AF technology, the newly developed triple lens camera supports advanced photo technologies using ZEISS optics, calibrated specifically for Xperia 1 II. They’re also looking to leverage tech designed for their Alpha interchangable lens cameras to offer continuous AF that performs AF / AE calculations at 60 times per second. Essentially this means it’s a world first for high-speed shooting at a maximum of 20 fpswhich is especially useful for shooting moving objects, like cars or kids. Focus on the subject and follow their movements with high precision, it sounds good and this is one feature I’m looking forward to testing out during the hands on review.
Low Lighting
Getting pics in low lighting conditions is another area we have seem massive leaps in the last number of years. Whether you’re getting that lovely shot of the moon or trying to take the club selfie, getting out of the dark is a big deal. The Xperia 1 II is set to deliver quality images in challenging circumstances thanks to four technologies working together: Dual photo diode sensor, an auto-focus system that covers approximately 70 percent of the sensor, the 3D iToF sensor and a new large 1/1.7” Exmor RS™ for mobile sensor makes it 1.5x more sensitive than the previous model, resulting in faster and accurate AF in low light shooting.
This Triple lens system is to offer versatility with three focal lengths: 16mm/24mm/70mm. The new Photography Pro “technology from Alpha” brings a user interface that is aligned to Alpha photographers, with manual controls to set ISO, shutter speed and more. Basically here the camera is going to be much more than a snap and go, this level of felxibility could be a real game changer for smartphone photographers or videomakers.
There’s also the cool Imaging Edge for Mobile feature which allows the phone link to a Sony Alpha camera to let you use the phone as a remote, controlling composition, focus mode and ISO sensitivity among other settings. This also allows the user to transfer photos taken on Alpha to Xperia 1 II to review colours and hues with professional grade accuracy.
Battery Power
The Xperia 1 II is powered by a whopping 4,000mAh battery with fast charge capability that is said to give you about 50% battery in under 30 minutes. That’s pretty sweet but this year we also get Qi fast wireless charging for a fast battery boost on the move. Sony continues to develop battery technologies to improve the lifespan and keep the battery healthier for longer including AI-powered ‘Battery Care’ that adapts to your personal routine. To be fair I’ve never found Sony to be bad on the battery but any and all improvements are always going to be well received.
All about the entertainment
In fairness Sony finally seem to have a plan. They are doubling down on the entertainment, with the 21:9 display and Dolby Atmos sound system it’s all about the movie magic.
Whether you’re listening to music or watching movies, the Xperia 1 II is finely tuned for an immaculate entertainment experience. Motion blur reduction technology is equivalent to that of a 90Hz display and reduces frame lag for a clearer image quality and with Dolby Atmos® sound, tuned in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment, the result is a multi-dimensional surround sound experience.
The aural experience is taken even further with the world’s first smartphone with 360 Reality Audio hardware decoding to optimise sound quality and high-quality music can be enjoyed through the front stereo speakers or in combination with wired headphones with the 3.5mm jack or wireless headphones. We do appreciate when companies continue to rock the 3.5mm, don’t get me wrong it’s a dying breed but for most when you’ve got old headphones you like to use or like me a mic that only plugs via 3.5, then this is a good thing.
Get Gamed
Connecting to the PS4 is nothing new for Sony but with the new 21:9 display, gaming experience combined with direct connection to the PS4 Control makes gaming on the go more fun and is now compatible with Call of Duty which has been optimised as a result of Sony’s collaboration with Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming.
Game Enhancer, a feature that was first introduced on Xperia 1 to enhance the mobile gaming experience, has been improved with additional functionality on Xperia 1 II. It will now support Competition Set which pins the game App to the screen and turns Xperia to a gaming-focused device, suitable for even competitive E-sports.
First for 5G
With Built for Speed being their big sales line, it’s no surprise that this years Xperia is their first 5G enabled handset.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 865 5G Mobile Platform and the Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF system lets you to game, capture, cross-task and connect like never thought possible with staggering multi-gigabit 5G speeds and improved performance with 25% faster CPU and GPU than the previous model.
The Xperia 1 II comes with IP65/68 water resistance[xix] and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 6 on both sides, making it sturdy as well as beautifully designed.
Accesorize
And last but not least, cases! I’ve always found that due to Sony’s release schedule getting cases can prove to be a bitch. Now thankfully to compliment what’s a stunning phone in hand you can also get a matching cover direct from the source. The Style Cover as it’s being called will offer protection while allowing you see time, date, and notifications, even when it’s closed. Not unlike the Samsung S-View cases in that sense. However there is also a model with an integrated kickstand so you can comfortably view the screen, watch movies, and play games. Both cases are available in Black and Purple to effortlessly blend with the colours of Xperia 1 II.
So far this looks like a really interesting phone and it’s going to be interesting to see how it compares to the efforts from Sony and Huawei, keep an eye out for our hands on reviews and a podcast where we will rank this years latest smartphones from best to worst.
You wouldn’t think Huawei’s Barcelona launch event was hastily organised in the follow up to Mobile World Congress being cancelled. The event had everything from phones to tablets and laptops with some insights into what the future holds. Even if, to get a good look at those, you do need to read between the lines a little.
The Huawei Mate Xs
Last year’s the Huawei Mate X was a unique take on the future of smartphones. Even when launched alongside Samsung’s best efforts. If the folding phone is to define the future of smartphones, Huawei hardware took the first round with the Mate X versus a very disappointing Samsung Galaxy Fold.
Unfortunately for Huawei, the fiasco with Google being forbidden from directly supplying the Chinese manufacturer brought plans of an EU launch to a halt. While they were winning the hardware battle, suddenly they found themselves with a massive software availability problem.
Speaking at the Barcelona launch, Huawei CEO Richard Yu, confirmed that the Mate X never launched in Europe because of the Google ban. Because the Mate Xs uses Huawei Mobile Services, the Chinese tech giant has no reason to hold back.
Now, let’s take a look at the phone itself.
The Mate Xs Price
I never start with the price, but this time the price brings with it lots of interesting insight from Huawei. Now, it’s not “wow, it only costs that much” interesting because the Mate Xs, at €2499, is bloody expensive. Richard Yu himself admits the phones are pricey but also claims Huawei are losing money on every phone they sell. This is down to manufacturing processes along with the research and development that’s involved too.
the phone is really good but the cost is very expensive
“To be honest, the phone is really good but the cost is very expensive” said Richard Yu speaking at a press conference after the launch event. But he’s not just talking about the cost to consumers as Yu also claimed Huawei is losing money on every Mate Xs handset they sell.
The Mate Xs will certainly have a market but that market is niche affluent early adopters, but don’t scoff at this fact. The early adopters effectively fund the future development of these phones. This phase of seemingly over-priced tech is a necessary evil in order for folding phones to become eventually affordable.
The Mate Xs Specs
So price aside, what will you actually get for your money.
Display
The primary draw of the Mate Xs is the screen. I’m not sure if I would yet go so far as to say it’s worth the admission fee itself but it’s close. Unfolded, the display spans 8-inches making the most of Huawei’s FullView display.
Folded, the phone offers you a 6.6-inch outward display and a 6.38-inch secondary display.
From the brief hands-on I got at the very crowded demo area organised by Huawei, the display didn’t disappoint.
Even with reduced media numbers, it was a struggle to get time with the Huawei Mate Xs – the star of the show.
While it’s often hard to really get a grasp for what these phone screens are like due to event room lighting, the Mate Xs appears to be nailing a folding display which remains sharp while delivering vivid colours.
One thing I was keeping an eye out for was the crease where the screen folds. In the past this has appeared to be quiet obvious on folding phones, I can’t say it distracted me at all during my first date with the Mate.
Build
Build isn’t something I can remember really talking about when it comes to phones. The primary reason being they’re all more or less the same. With the era of the folding phone, this is once again a very relevant area to investigate. The Samsung Galaxy Fold shows us why, as the Fold’s design left an odd gap when the phone was closed. At the launch event, this bizarre gap was subject to a brief joke comparison on screen, using a similar graphic to last year when Richard Yu mocked the Fold’s gap.
Effectively, this is the Mate X from last year but with an upgraded processer in the Kirin 990 chip and some upgrading elements in the folding mechanism. I don’t believe I ever got hands-on with the Mate X so I can’t compare, but the Mate Xs feels great in your hand. Even while filming some footage and manoeuvring the phone from folded to unfolded with one hand, the Mate Xs was surprisingly manageable.
I was testing the phone like a a junior-b hurler hurl before sledging a sideline
The first time you collapse the screen and fold it over, it feels wrong. But after a few minutes, I was testing the phone like a junior-b hurler hurl before sledging a sideline. After the simple press of a button, the phone springs into life and starts to open. You finish the job as the screen locks into place, perfectly flat at 180-degrees.
It’s wildly fun to pop open, unfold and then fold up again. I’m sure the novelty does wear off but I was at it for a good ten minutes and it was only because there was a queue behind me that I moved on.
Camera
Huawei has really dominated the camera space in recent years. Right now, Samsung is trying to dethrone Huawei while the iPhone 11 Pro has brought Apple on leaps and bounds. The Mate Xs isn’t a play from Huawei to land the best camera on the market with this phone’s camera being more akin to that of the Mate 30 Pro, the phone I’m currently testing. In fact, it’s practically identical in terms of camera specs. The Mate Xs puts a 40MP primary lens, 16MP ultra-wide lens and an 8MP telephoto lens (the only difference where the Mate 30 Pro has a 40MP) into your hands, allowing you to take shots with up to 30x hybrid zoom.
The phone’s design means these primary lens and all the features they bring to the party are also available for selfies. This is down to the folded phone’s secondary screen allowing you to take selfies and preview your shots on a 6.38-inch screen. That’s a primary camera shot previewed on a secondary screen which would rival many leading smartphone specs.
Software
Another area which I’ve often left untouched simply because it’s usually always the same. Now, the Huawei Mate Xs leaves us with plenty to talk about when it comes to software. First up is the firm arrival of the Huawei App Gallery. I say firm because, during the launch event, Richard Yu presented one slide which stood out to me from the rest.
This was the image of the Google Play Store logo, the iOS App Store log sitting alongside the Huawei App Gallery logo. For me, this was the line in the sand we’ve all been expecting for quite some time. This was the moment where it no longer looks like there is a route back towards Huawei leaning on the Google Play Store.
Huawei is All In
The Chinese manufacturer doesn’t have answers for everything just yet with many popular apps and services still missing off the Huawei App Gallery. I managed to install WhatsApp directly from the WhatsApp website without much fuss and many apps do offer similar options.
Today I installed WhatsApp on a HMS Mate Xs. That’s a phone with no official GMS support. But still, @WhatsApp make direct install readily available on their site @HuaweiMobileIEpic.twitter.com/5DKa5pjSpq
But many is not all and there are many also not available. The big test for Huawei is avoiding becoming Microsoft. They tried to battle Google and Apple but failed. There’s a saying that you should fail early, fail fast and fail cheap. Microsoft certainly didn’t but from chatting to fellow tech-heads at the Huawei launch event, there’s a feeling of “maybe they can do it” about Huawei.
For me, Google Pay is a massive service missing from new Huawei devices and going forward, I see the expansion of Huawei Pay as being a kind of litmus test for how Huawei is progressing without the Google Play Store.
Multi-tasking
The Huawei Mate Xs is a member of the Mate family and that means it’s aimed at business people. You know, people who need more screen and functionality like screen sharing and presentation mode. This is why Huawei doesn’t just put the best camera possible into these phones and call it a day.
Instead, they focus on business functionality and with an 8-inch screen sitting in your pocket the Mate Xs natively supports really handy multi-tasking. This means you can have two apps sitting side by side on the unfolded screen and even have the two apps interact with each other. This means you can drag and drop text or images from one screen to another.
Right now, I’m typing this review on an Aer Lingus flight using my 15-inch MacBook Pro and I can tell you I’d rather be using a wee keyboard and an 8-inch screen with press releases on one side and my writing screen on the other.
So, How Do Things Look For Huawei?
It’s way too early to pass a verdict on the Mate Xs, but I’ll be getting by hands on one in the next few weeks to write a much more in-depth review. However, I can’t comment on how things are looking for Huawei.
During the post-event press conference, another tech writer asked Richard Yu where his optimism is coming from. It was a fair question because not once has the Huawei CEO looked under pressure about the whole “Google question”. Sure, the primary part of his business is the Chinese market, but Huawei’s explosive growth outside of China coming to a grinding halt over politics would keep most CEOs in search of a bit of sleep.
Whatever about the tough times and the controversies, Huawei’s strength would appear to be Richard Yu. He’s calm and collected while remaining able to crack a joke about the darkest areas of the Huawei brand as easily as he can a competitor.
When that slide of the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store came on screen, displaying the Huawei App Gallery as a firm competitor to the two, Richard Yu said consumers deserve a choice which is why Huawei would now press on with building their own app store. The Huawei CEO has been incredibly decisive here and decided that there’s no route back to Huawei using Google Mobile Services. While the journey towards this point certainly wasn’t started by Huawei, they would appear keen on being the ones to finish it.
Now, whether or not this actually works absolutely remains to be seen. Huawei could be another Microsoft, but at this early stage in that journey, it does feel like player three has entered the game.
The Huawei Mate Xs will launch in Ireland in April with an RRP of €2499. Network availability has yet to be confirmed.
Huawei also launched the MateBook X Pro laptop, the MateBook D and the MatePad Pro. More on those to come.
Huawei’s Barcelona Launch Event Live Blog
We were live at the event from Fira Montjuïc in Barcelona. Here’s everything as it happened.
March 10th but the time you can play will differ depending on whether or not you already own the Modern Warfare title. Owners of the game can start playing from 8am, once they have completed the 15-22GB download and those with the Modern Warfare season pass can continue their progress in Warzone.
