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New Apple iPhone 11 & 11 Max Rumours 2019

Neal
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New Apple iPhone 11 & 11 Max Rumours 2019

Follow the latest news straight from Apple’s iPhone Launch Event on our Live Blog

As regular Goosed.ie readers will no doubt know, the internet begins to go crazy around this time with rumours and gossip ahead of the expected new iPhone models announcement due in early September. Let’s get the bad news out of the way early though. The new iPhones will almost certainly look very similar to the iPhone design of the past two years, including the marmite notch. Forget any hopes of a full-screen phone with perhaps under-screen fingerprint scanning, a pop-up selfie camera or if your super optimistic/seriously deluded, a foldable iPhone.

Still saying this, the new iPhones will undeniably be technical powerhouses and if you’re an iPhone/iOS devotee and in the market for a new phone, you will not be disappointed. Expect the usual top of the range premium phone that will last for many years and come with Apple supported software updates guaranteed for up to 5 years.

So, what are the rumours this year pointing to exactly?

Apple is expected to launch 3 new models to update last year’s iPhone XS, XS Max and XR models. The first two models, iPhone 11 & iPhone 11 Max (iPhone XS & XS Max) will feature OLED screens of 5.8 inches and 6.5 inches respectively. The new iPhone 11R (iPhone XR 2018) will feature a 6.1 inch LCD Retina screen.

Face ID scanning will still feature this year on all models this year. Apple shows no plans to move away from this technology, in fact, it appears they may well be doubling down on this as the primary method to unlock your phone, at least for the foreseeable future.

iPhone 11 & iPhone 11 Max

Image result for new iphone

For the purposes for clarity, we have called this year’s phone iPhone 11, but of course, we have really no idea yet what Apple will call them or even if they will stick with the odd roman numerals naming convention of recent years. With no major design change expected, Apple will need to have some new tricks to stand out from the crowd and tempt us to part with cash. Here are some of the big new features we are expecting this year.

New Cameras

The big-ticket item that most rumours are pointing to is a new Triple Camera System held within a square camera bump at the back of the phone. One of the camera modules is rumoured to be a new Wide-Angled lens for more detailed photos with auto-correction software built-in. The full-on demise of expensive, heavy and complicated DSLR cameras is perhaps closer than we think.

The Selfie Front Facing camera is also expected to receive a spec bump from 7MP to 12MP. Perfect for capturing your best angle in those selfie shots.

Processor

This year’s model will contain a new processor called the A13 Bionic which will bring AI and graphic improvements over the previous processor. Also expected is the Removal of 3D Touch and a new Taptic Engine which will incorporate additional quick actions within iOS13. Faster Wireless and LTE speeds are also expected.

Battery and Charging

More Powerful Batteries are expected this year along with a new feature called Bilateral Wireless Charging. This feature in simple language means you can charge your Apple Watch/ AirPod by using your iPhone as a type of charging mat. It will also charge other Qi-enabled wireless devices e.g. Samsung phones.

iPhone 11R

Apple’s cheaper alternative (€300 cheaper) but almost as good phone, outsold the XS & XS Max combined last year. It’s easy to see why, because of the phone packs just as much good tech inside as its more expensive siblings apart from the OLED screen. You have to make do with a 6.1 inch LCD Retina screen, which really is pretty good. If you don’t care about that and most won’t even notice, then this is probably the iPhone to go for.

Camera Upgrades

It’s expected that the iPhone 11R will have the same Square Camera bump as the other models but with only two lenses, a telephoto and a new updated wide-angled lens. The Selfie Front Facing camera is also expected to receive a spec bump from 7MP to 12MP.

Processor

Faster A13 Bionic processor, new Taptic engine and faster Wireless & LTE as per the iPhone 11 & Max.

Battery and Charging

Similar enhanced battery and Bilateral Wireless Charging capability as the iPhone 11 & Max.

New Software iOS13 & iPadOS

Image result for ios 13

iOS 13 will be launched alongside the new iPhone models and the major new features expected this year include Dark Mode, new Photo and Picture Editing Tools, Security/Login improvements, Maps app redesign, Siri updates, new Reminders app and Performance improvements.

Also launching this year is the new iPadOS, which will be the iPad’s own standalone software. It will feature the same improvements as iOS13 but with some extra iPad specific features like the Files App with external USB drive support and desktop-class Safari internet browser.

Revolut Warning Customers About New Scam

Jon
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Revolut Warning Customers About New Scam

Revolut, we have been big advocates for the online banking platform in recent years, but they have had to issue a warning to its users in recent days over scammers who have been trying to gain access to accounts fraudulently.

According to Revolut, these scammers have been calling customers pretending to be from their support team with the aim of getting customers to share their SMS login codes.

The online bank offers a banking service that includes pre-paid debit cards, currency exchange, cryptocurrency exchange and peer-to-peer payments – which can be particularly useful to users when travelling abroad.

Due to this recent scam, Revolut has warned customers that their platform is app only. As with any bank, customers will never ever ever be asked to enter their SMS or Pin codes on a website or give banking details over the phone.

If you are a Revolut User you might have seen the following notification, which appears to pop up when using the app, reminds users that Revolut employees will never ask for your SMS or pin code for the app.

Image result for revolut scam pop up

This notice has been sent to all customers regardless of whether or not they received a fraudulent call, so no need to freak out too much, but Revolut has obviously felt there was a need to raise awareness about potential security issues.

Any customers who feel they have been affected by the scam are encouraged to report suspicious behaviour to their support team via the app.

Just be wide and take this advice on board, share it with parents and whoever you might feel is at risk and here it is; No bank or company will ring you looking for bank details, a PIN number or any kind of verification info…..ever!

British financial company Revolut was founded in 2015 with over 200,000 Irish users.

Huawei Watch GT Review: A Waterproof Smart Watch For Active People

Marty
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Huawei Watch GT Review: A Waterproof Smart Watch For Active People

I’m a wearable user. That’s the only way I can describe myself because I’ve yet to find a wearable that passes the halfway test (more on that in a minute). I’ve had the original Pebble Smartwatch from Kickstarter, a watch so old that even my article about it is looking worse for wear. I’ve also had two Android-powered Huawei watches which I liked the look of but was left underwhelmed with when it comes to day-to-day usage. Today, I’m going to let you know what I think about Huawei’s third smartwatch. The Huawei Watch GT.

The Halfway Test

Before I bate into the full Huawei Watch GT review, I need to clarify the halfway test. Imagine in the morning, you’re halfway to the office and you realise you forgot something like:

  1. Wallet
  2. Office ID Card
  3. Wedding Ring
  4. Watch
  5. Smart Watch
  6. Mobile Phone

Given you’re halfway to the office, would you go back for any of these items? For me, there’s actually nothing on this list I couldn’t live without for a day. Assuming, of course, I’ve remembered my phone in the event of forgetting my wallet (because I have Google Pay). However, for many, the phone or wallet might be enough to turn on your heel and wander back home.

For me, no smartwatch has ever done this. It just doesn’t add enough functionality to my life to make it an absolute must-have every day. But what about the Huawei Watch GT? Could this be the first to take that title?

How Smart Is The Huawei Watch GT?

How should I answer this one? The Huawei Watch GT isn’t the smartest watch on the planet, but that’s actually why it’s so smart…as in brilliant.

huawei watch gt review

As a longtime wearer of smartwatches, one thing has always astonished me. Just how little I use the smart features. I had the option to pay with my wrist, but instead, I rather use my phone. I was playing golf and marking my game using the Hole 19 app with wearable features, but again, the phone screen won out. So what was I using my Android-powered smartwatches for?

Well, I used them to tell the time, receive notifications and…. well that’s actually it.

Yup, the Huawei Watch GT has made me realise just how little I used the “smart” features of Wear OS on earlier Huawei watches. But why wasn’t I using Google Assistant on my wrist? Why wasn’t I playing music straight to my Bluetooth earphones when running, leaving my phone at home? Because Wear OS is shite. There, I said it. It’s horrendous to use. It’s clunky. It’s slow. It’s incredibly frustrating.

It looks like Huawei recognised this as the Watch GT is the first full round face Huawei watch to utilise LiteOS. This is Huawei’s own operating system, originally designed to power Internet of Things devices created by the Chinese manufacturer. The result is a much simplified operating system which runs smoother and delivers a much better battery life without skimping on high-quality wrist visuals.

Huawei Watch GT: The Brilliant

I’m going to split this into two sections. The brilliant and the bad aspects of the Huawei Watch GT, combined from my first impressions over a year ago at the London launch of the watch and the past two weeks I’ve spent using this LiteOS wearable.

Design: The Huawei Watch GT is Gorgeous

I’m going to talk about lots of things here, but when it comes to watches let’s not forget the basics. The Watch GT is gorgeous. It looks stunning. Personally, I like most of the watch faces which offer something for everyone. It’s a much bigger watch face than the Huawei Watch 2 which left me a little perplexed that the second watch in the series would have a smaller screen than the first.

The Watch GT leaves all that in the rearview mirror because it’s a beaut. From how the watch looks to how it feels is perfect. I’d say the most important feature is the screen and this screen is popping every time it comes to life following a flick of the wrist.

Incredibly Long Battery Life

The battery life in this watch is epic. Usually, you have two choices when it comes to smartwatches. You can either have an amazing looking watch which needs to be charged every night or a substandard looking wearable that needs to be charged once a month. The exception to this rule is the Nokia HR, but that’s a hybrid and not strictly a smartwatch at all.

Owing to Huawei’s LiteOS operating system, reduced functionality and a setting you cannot change which turns the screen off when not in use, the Watch GT will give most users between one week of use on a single charge. That checks out for me with the watch running for two weeks with a single charge in the middle.

One annoyance I had was the lack of an always on-screen setting. Turns out there is an option to have the time appear when the face goes into standby mode. A feature I like having, but just be aware this will half your battery life straight away.

Smart Watch For Fitness Fans

I’m not going to spoof my way through talking about fitness here, but I will admit, I’m impressed by the fitness features on this watch. Huawei has been clever here in realising most people just want a watch. Additional desired features will most likely surround fitness. Everything else is usually unused nice to haves and as such, Huawei left them outside.

Without exactly being a fitness fanatic, I can see some features here that people will love. If you’re a triathlon participant, the Watch GT has a special feature for you which can track each individual stage separately. All you do is tap a button and it’ll move onto the next discipline you’re in. So yes, this also means the watch is waterproof and rated up to 5 meters.

One feature I am looking forward to trying out once I can avoid the summer beer gardens for a few days is the fitness trainer. The Watch GT has programmes built-in for you to try out. The onboard GPS means you can also leave the phone at home and unplug for a half an hour while you get a jog in.

Sleep Tracking, Heart Rate Sensors and More

There’s a lot of tracking going on with the Watch GT. I don’t know what it is, but I love tracking the quality of my sleeps. Wear OS watches aren’t great for this for the simple reason they have to be charged daily. The most convenient time to charge? While I sleep of course!

Having a watch with a one to two-week battery means it’s less likely I’ll lose out on sleep data.

There’s also plenty more about your life this watch can tell you. I enjoyed looking at my heart rate stats from a lazy Saturday which ended in the moshpits of Kerbdog. Step counts and heart rates went through the roof for a short two-hour window. Again, for the sports fans out there, the watch also has a Barometer which I believe to be important for climbers and hikers. Look, I’m not the outdoors type, but I hope I’m showing you just how much Huawei stuffed into this first iteration of a smartwatch running LiteOS.

Charging Puck

This could have gone either side of the fence, to be honest. I’m a bit miffed that Huawei has changed the charging puck four all three smartwatches they’ve created. However, the latest version has a disconnectable USB-C cable. I don’t know. I just like that.

huawei watch gt charger

The charger itself it well designed with a magnetic snap-on mechanism securing your watch during charging. Charging is super quick too with the watch going from 0% to 100% in under an hour. Huawei lists it as requiring less than two hours, but it felt closer to one for me.

Huawei Watch GT: The Bad

While I’m really loving the watch, there are a few niggles I have.

LiteOS Integrations

As is typical in these situations, one of the watches strongest points is also one of its weaknesses. LiteOS means the battery life is brilliant, but it also means some feeds don’t integrate so well. While message notifications appear perfectly, WhatsApp messages can build up with no way to read other than swapping to your phone. Even as I type that, I realise this is a pretty small niggle, but it’s a niggle nonetheless.

the Watch GT has actually just made me realise how few of the Wear OS features I actually used

LiteOS also means you can’t install third-party apps to your watch or download custom watch faces. Now, for some, this might be a deal-breaker. I thought it would be for me, but the Watch GT has actually just made me realise how few of the Wear OS features I actually used.

No Wireless Charging

In the age of reverse wireless charging, especially considering that the Watch GT debuted alongside the Mate 20 Pro which had reverse wireless charging, it’s odd that there’s none to be seen here. I can charge my new toothbrush on my P30 Pro, but not my Huawei Watch. I know it’s unlikely that decision was taken lightly, but it’s a nice to have feature that I would have used.

The reason I’d have used it is travelling. While many manufacturers have you think that reverse wireless charging is all about power-sharing with friends, it’s really about charging devices on the go. Plug in your phone overnight and rest your watch on the back. Both will be charged when you wake up. See? Very handing if you’re travelling and only have one cable. A missed opportunity for a great feature there.

Huawei Watch GT: The Verdict

I’m not a fitness fanatic, but still, I love this watch. The first Huawei Watch was the only smartwatch, at the time, that I actually wanted. It looked like a watch. Hard to believe how simple I am to please, but that’s all I wanted. The Watch GT made me realise I don’t really want much more than a nice looking watch with some smart features.

It’s a beaut to look at, cooks in some nice features for everyday users and goes the extra mile to please those who want a rounded fitness wearable and smartwatch all in one. Better still, Huawei will be dishing these out for the month of August.

Where to Buy the Huawei Watch GT and How Much Does It Cost?

At €192, PriceSpy.ie recommends only Amazon.co.uk as a place to buy the Huawei Watch GT. It makes sense as this is where both of my previous Huawei Watches came from. Ireland isn’t a big wearable market I’m afraid.

There’s some really good news though. Given Huawei was caught in the crossfire recently between Trump and China, the Chinese manufacturer has had to scramble to rebuild draw the punters bank in. What better way to do that other than a freebie.

Huawei is giving the Watch GT away free as a gift to customers in Ireland buying a P30 or P30 Pro. They are available from free on bill pay with Vodafone, Three, Eir, Carphone Warehouse, Tesco Mobile and Virgin Media. The free watch offer is also available with Harvey Norman who sell the phone SIM Free.

DTS Women In Tech Awards

Jon
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DTS Women In Tech Awards

Goosed are big fans of The Dublin Tech Summit, we have been going every year since it’s inception and rightly so they are now considered one of the fastest-growing technology showcases in Europe. Plus we have a great laugh just see for yourself:

Well, last year DTS hosted its inaugural Women In Tech Awards, which became Ireland’s foremost event dedicated to recognizing the innovation, leadership and achievements of women in Ireland’s tech landscape. Last year was a huge success and now they are about to host their 2nd annual DTS Women In Tech Awards out of the RDs on October 10th this year. Goosed.ie are delighted to call ourselves one of the media partners for the event as the awards as they aim to highlight the diversity in the workplace, narrowing the gender gap and recognise the achievements of the amazing women who work tireless to drive innovation, leadership and success in the tech industry! This year the audience will consist of 400 high-level execs, VIP’s, government officials and of course us.

Bridge the gender gap

Yes Goosed.ie is a pretty much male-dominated company, but that hasn’t been by design, trust us on that. What we like about the DTS Women In Tech Awards is how they are working towards bridging the gender gap, something which is evident in the tech industry. Luckily society has been striving to bright this gap and events like the DTS Women In Tech Awards that prove just how imbalances the industry is. Women are statistically in the minority but despite this, there are achievements that need to be celebrated. Just have a look at some of the amazing 2018 Winners. We mentioned earlier that we enjoy our annual trips to the Dublin Tech Summit and this year the Women In Tech drive proved a winner with the conference boasting the highest female attendance rate for a tech showcase of 48%.

What we found incredible to see at the event was the sheer amount of young women who attended and having this kind of female representation at an event like DTS can only help inspire the next generation. On a personal level, I know some brilliant people women in the tech space who are inspirations to both men and women alike.

About the night

We mentioned that last year was a huge success but gender isn’t the only issue when it comes to creating a more diverse tech industry. To highlight this The Women In Tech Awards has introduced 3 new categories, Diversity Role Model, HR Diversity Initiative and Diverse Company of the Year.

That being said, this year we have 14 categories and 2 special recognition awards including the Women in Tech Initiative recognises one not-for-profit organisation that has demonstrated exceptional initiative to promote women in tech. Entries are free and simple to complete, so why not nominate someone you know for this year’s event?

At the time of writing nominations are still open here are the categories that are available:

  1. IT Business Leader Award
  2. Trailblazer Award
  3. Security Leader Award
  4. Digital Transformation Award
  5. Fintech Leader Award
  6. Blockchain Leader Award
  7. Entrepreneur Award
  8. Disruptor Award
  9. Rising Star Award
  10. Data Scientist Award
  11. Mentorship Award
  12. Grace Hopper Award
  13. Women in Tech Initiative
  14. Diverse Company Of The Year
  15. HR Diversity Initiative Award
  16. Diversity Role Model Award

Once the nominations are complete, the winners will be determined by an amazing panel of international judges. For me last year the big takeaway was witnessing Brenda Romero of Romero games doing her closing speech after winning the Grace Hopper Award. She was brilliant, honest, and just downright hilarious while making a lot of very good points, while I couldn’t find the speech itself, here is one of her TedTalks to give you an idea of the personality on show:

But that’s not all! If the award ceremony isn’t enough the night will also include a host of brilliant speakers. We are absolutely delighted that something is being done to show how important women are in the tech industry. If you want to find out more about the event you can check out their website.

Are you a woman with a passion for tech, want to write and don’t know where to start? Get in touch with us here and become the 1st female member of the Goosed.ie team.

Can’t Sign Into Xbox Live? You’re Not Alone

Marty
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Can’t Sign Into Xbox Live? You’re Not Alone

UPDATE: They’re back up and running with signins.

Finally had some time to go try out this new casino in GTA so I booted up my Xbox. Strangely I was signed out of my Xbox Live account and even more strangely, I was unable to sign in at all. I took to Twitter to find I’m not alone.

Is Xbox Live Down?

Weirder and weirder. Xbox Live is a fairly transparent system in that they publically update people on statuses. At the time of writing, everything has a green light, right across the board. That means all systems are perfectly fine. Of course, if you are an Xbox Live gamer, right now that’s just not the case.

Why Can’t I Sign Into Xbox Live?

It’s odd that I couldn’t sign into Xbox Live, but I did what any normal person would to in this situation. I took to Twitter to check if I was alone, or if this was a widespread issue.

As you can see, I’m not alone. If fact, that last tweet about the controller is exactly what happened to me. I’ve never seen a controller update before, and I’ve seen every other bloody update under the sun thanks to Xbox’s endless rollout of updates. A reason why I’m very looking forward to Google Stadia in November.

I digress.

So, this is a widespread issue, but what’s the cause?

Possible Causes

Getting kicked out of your accounts is usually a sign of a hack or data leak. Companies kick everyone out of their accounts so they have to log back in. The idea here is that only real account holders will be able to get back in. In theory.

It doesn’t feel like that’s what happened here because the entire log in process just looks broken. It looks as if someone released some kind of console update that’s crashing the who Xbox Live network.

It always worries me just how fragile such huge systems are.

What Has Microsoft and Xbox Said?

So far, not very much. Over the past few days, the Xbox Live network has had general issues around payments but nothing around log in. However, it would be too much of a coincidence that a fairly hefty fix a few days ago isn’t related to massive network failures today.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on this not only to keep you informed, but because I’m bursting to play GTA. At least you now know, you’re not alone.

Update

Xbox is currently investigating this issue.

Update:

Crash Nitro-Fueled: A Blast from the Past!

Jon
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Crash Nitro-Fueled: A Blast from the Past!

There was only ever one karting game that has remotely managed to compete against the legendary Mario Kart series, and that’s Crash Team Racing on the PSOne. Naughty Dog saw what Mario was on Nintendo, followed the formula and bang PlayStation success. It’s one of those games that anyone from the original PlayStation remembers fondly and after the success of their remastered N-Sane trilogy it made sense for Crash Nitro-Fueled to make its PS4 debut.

Crash Nito Fueled gives the older racer a new paint job with a couple of new tricks. Other than that, there is nothing groundbreaking here and if you’re a fan of the genre you know just what to expect since it’s almost exactly the same game. Power-slides, power-ups, slick tracks and frustrating boss missions, Nitro Kart is essentially a juiced-up remake of the original rather than a brand new game but it’s as enjoyable as it was 1999.

Gameplay

Related image

Simple enough, it’s exactly like the original. The Adventure Mode hits 17 different tracks across 5 worlds. You race against 7 other drivers or 1-v-1 against the bosses and once you’ve done all that then the graft begins. Relic and CTR races must also be completed on each track to hit the 100% completion. Relic races can be won by shaving race times down to the bare minimums with fast racing and hitting boxes that temporarily stop the clock. While the CTR races are completed by finding the letters C T and R during a race.
Of course, there was always going to be the power-ups. Missiles, TnT’s, clock stoppers and the dreaded blue ball are all back. Crash through the boxes. hit O and watch the chaos ensure. There’s not really a whole lot to say here if you remember the original then Crash Nitro-Fueled will feel the same now as it did then.

Racing Experience

Another thing that hasn’t changed is the pacing of the game. It’s all about timing though powerslides to perfection to earn boosts. You can link them together into combos to maintain maximum speed. It’s a skill you will need to learn to learn your opponents in the dust.

Sadly the AI is very limited, It’s set up to maintain a certain speed no matter what you do. That means there’s nothing to tell the game to up the competition speed to give you a real race, you can literally burn away and not have a single challenge throughout. Grand if you’re in the mood for a handy win but if you actually want a real challenge, keep looking.
In a way that’s the only flaw, at times you feel you and the other racers are playing very different games. I personally would have enjoyed it if the computer could hit the same speeds and if they see you breaking off for a short cut they will also start to use it rather than sticking to the track and letting you breeze by them.The single-player game boils down to a constant quest to get faster and faster, honing your skills to a fine point. It would have been great if the computer players ramped up their skills as well and gave a good fight, but once I surpassed their abilities it was a battle against myself.

Multi-Player & Online

Image result for crash nitro fueled online
Campaigns over and that’s it, right? Wrong. Crash Nitro-Fueled has multiplayer and a new online game mode to let you test yourself against your friends and random strangers. For the best visual experience stick to one-on-one races, the graphics are just popping but try a 4-player tournament and the graphics engine simply can’t keep up and you lose a lot of detail. Not really a major issue to be fair.
There are 5 different battle modes in multiplayer from standard races to the last man standing free for all and even capture the flag. Which is great fun might I add. Instead of racing, we got to blow each other up. 

Graphics

The graphics are brilliant. In an era where so many games are trying to become as realistic as humanly possible, there is something brilliantly enjoyable about a vivid cartoony world.

As the facelift was the only real difference between Crash Nitro-Fueled and Team Racing, it had to be done well. It is, just see for yourself:

 

My only issue with the graphics come in multiplayer games. With 4 players in the game, the graphics start to kind of chug along, two players is fine but if you play a 4 player tournament, you will just end up with a headache….trust me. Maybe I’m being picky but I feel like they could have pushed the boat out a bit more when it came to power-ups. Back in the day, they did the best they could with what they had but maybe they missed a trick not adding in some effects, something like the screen warping during a speed boost. As it stands, most of the special effects are just repainted entities but they could have added so much more chaos than` this mad cartoon world deserves.

Sound

I always remembered the mad music on Crash being reminiscent of Wacky Racers full of Looney Tunesesque sound effects. Who else remembers Wacky Racers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWPw0jEIhVw

It’s clear the game was always targeted towards a younger audience and each of the characters gets their own cutesy little phrases they say when the hit you with a rocket or zoom by you on the track. While in some games this can get annoying after awhile here you just zone out to the track music as you’re brought back to Saturday mornings on the couch. It all just works along with the action nicely.

The Goosed Verdict

Crash Nitro-Fueled is a solid remake of the PSOne Classic. It’s fast, fun and the online team mode is a nice addition The only downside is obvious, it’s a remake. From Mario Kart to the Crash series this type of game has been made a million other times and this title doesn’t bring much new to the genre. Even if I personally would consider the online gameplay a win.

If you loved the original, or consider yourself a fan of kart titles, this will provide the enjoyment you need for some nice light gaming, plus the alternative game modes help give CNK some good bang for the buck. Overall it’s a wonderful game that I personally would highly recommend for old school fans and younger gamers. Fingers crossed this leads to a fresh title in the near future.

Center Parcs Launch: Is Influencer Advertising Going Too Far?

Marty
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Center Parcs Launch: Is Influencer Advertising Going Too Far?

Center Parcs in Longford has opened its brand new €233 million midlands resort. As is often the case with big launches these days, the resort’s launch was accompanied by a small army of journalists and “influencers” getting exclusive access to report back to the public. There’s been some backlash on social media but while I’m sure my own invite to preview the resort got lost in the mail, I’m actually here to defend Center Parcs’ social media influenced launch.

The Perceived Problem of Impartiality

From what I can see online, many people are taking exception to the fact Center Parcs have handed out freebie access to the resort. I’m sure in some circumstances they’ve gone a step further and paid for many journalists and “influencer” types to attend the resort’s launch.

I can understand why many feel a free trip impeeds impartiality but at the same time, it’s unrealistic to expect journalists and even more so “influencers” to generate content from trips they only ever pay for themselves.

Social media “influencers” have gotten to where they are because people like how they create content. That doesn’t mean you need to like them or buy into what they’re doing, but someone, and by someone I mean quite a lot of people, do like what they do and want to hear what they think.

If a social media “influencer” starts to pang of unauthentic paid advertisements, it’s up to followers to stop engaging and unfollow. Once this happens, you can be sure they won’t be influencing anyone for much longer.

Declaring #Ad #Spon

I realise that in this scenario I am a journalistic content creator who receives free gadgets to review on a regular basis. However, I’m also someone who appreciates every set of eyeballs that reads Goosed.ie content and as such ensure everything we write is authentic and genuine. With that in mind, we’ve carefully followed rules set out by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland when it comes to declaring when a post is sponsored.

Some are taking exception to this online regarding the Center Parcs launch too.

The funny thing here is that it’s quite likely all of the people attending this freebie weekend are not required to mark these posts as sponsored at all.

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland website outlines when a bloggers content becomes a marketing or advertising communication as “where an advertiser makes a payment (directly or in kind) to the reviewer/blogger and where the advertiser has control over the content that is created”.

“And” is the important word here. By simply receiving a freebie, posts and content aren’t sponsored unless the provider retains editorial control. I’m going to use Goosed.ie as the example here again. For me to buy everything we review, I’d be broke. Sometimes I will mention that a company “sent this over for review” just for transparency sake. Sometimes I get to keep the gadget, sometimes I don’t. To be totally honest, a free gadget doesn’t colour my opinions because there’s a stack of tech in my house that doesn’t get used. The novelty kind of wears off.

I have written sponsored content in the past. For example, we teamed up with Dulux and clearly marked our post and sponsored. Why? Because Dulux wanted to sign off on the content. I wouldn’t have complete editorial control and as such, I wanted us to be transparent.

Ok, So Why The Rant?

Well, I personally think this is all a bit of an overreaction. Center Parcs has spent €233 million in setting up this new venture so surely they should be allowed to promote it however they see fit? It’s a golden age for Longford which now trends 24/7 thanks to Love Island’s Maura and now #CenterParcsIreland.

The backlash seems to be more about people being annoyed that they weren’t invited along for the freebie. Wondering why someone with a social media account deserves a weekend away and why they don’t. I absolutely despise the term “influencer” because it means nothing. There are good content creators and there are terrible content creators. Some are in it for the reader’s benefit (that’s us, I promise) and others are just in it to get free rides. It’s up to us as consumers to ensure we evaluate content online before we use it to help us make decisions.

What do you think yourself? Let me know in the comments below.

How To Stop WhatsApp Saving Photos To Your Gallery

Marty
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0
How To Stop WhatsApp Saving Photos To Your Gallery

A recent conversation with some colleagues threw up one of those annoyances I’ve just lived with. In an age where every single minute task needs a WhatsApp group, our phones have become awash with images that we really don’t want. WhatsApp adds to this problem infinitely, but there’s a really easy way to solve your problem.

Wait, what’s the problem?

We all have that one group that plays fast and loose with x-rated gifs or adult jokes. You know the group I’m on about. Someone sends a gif of something inappropriate buy hilarious so you giggle and forget about it. You forget about it until someone is looking at your holiday snaps and they swipe left to see that gif you received in WhatsApp. Come on, you remember the gif. The one snipped from that famous video of hilariously censored porn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xck4Bo1gCo

Hilarious, but not something you want your colleague seeing, right?

The problem is that WhatsApp assumes you want all of these photos and gifs downloaded to your phone. It’s a setting that’s turned on by default, but it’s remarkably easy to switch this off and spare yourself some blushes. Here’s the how.

Stop WhatsApp Downloading Images: Android

Follow these simple steps and the jobs done:

Stop Downloading Images Altogether

  1. Open WhatsApp
  2. Tap More Options – that’s the three dots button
  3. Tap Settings
  4. Tap Chats
  5. Turn off Media Visibility

You’ll need to manually delete all images downloaded to date, but going forward you’ll need to manually save images to your gallery.

Stop Downloading Images for a Particular Group

Sometimes, it’s just that one group that’s landing you in it. For them you can:

  1. Open WhatsApp
  2. Open the Group giving you problems
  3. Tap More Options – that’s the three dots button
  4. Tap Group Info
  5. Tap Media Visibility
  6. Select No

Again, you’ll need to manually delete all images downloaded to date, but going forward you’ll need to manually save images to your gallery – no more auto-downloads from this group.

Stop WhatsApp Downloading Images: iOS

Would you believe, for once, it’s exactly the same process!

 

Google Maps Now Has Real-time DublinBikes Station Updates

Marty
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0
Google Maps Now Has Real-time DublinBikes Station Updates

I’m pretty sure this is a very common bugbear for shared bike commuters in Dublin. Either you go to take a bike from a service like JustEat’s DublinBikes or you try to return one only to find the station is either empty of jammers. As a result, you’re either left on your todd or have to park the bike on the street which costs you more money. Google Maps has just released an update which lets you see real-time availability at DublinBikes stations in Dublin.

What is DublinBikes?

I’ve previously talked about how ownership could very well be a thing of the past. We don’t buy CDs anymore because we have Spotify. We don’t really need cars anymore because in cities like Dublin we have GoCar. You don’t really need to own a bike either because of services like DublinBikes and Bleeper Bikes which let you borrow from a public pool of bikes for a small charge.

Why is this Update Important?

Like I said in my intro, I’ve been caught out a few times in the past when using DublinBikes. I’ve cycled to the office only to find there’s no space at a station to park. I’ve left the office only to find there’s no bike at the station. DublinBikes, to the best of my knowledge, never had an official app, nor was their website very good. This made finding real-time info on bike stations really hard to find when you’re in a hurry.

Google integrating DublinBikes real-time data into the Google Maps app finally makes this info accessible and useful. When planning your trip in Google Maps, you’ll now be able to see if there are bikes near you and if you’ll actually have somewhere to park at your destination.

Other Google Maps Features

In a city like Dublin, getting around can be complicated. Google Maps now does more than ever to try and keep the city moving. Real-time traffic data can keep you up to date on the best routes to get from A to B. You can use services like H̶a̶i̶l̶o̶,̶ ̶M̶y̶T̶a̶x̶i̶, Free Now and Uber within Google Maps and hail a taxi as part of your journey planning while also benefitting from a fare estimation.

Now, adding share bike functionality means we can continue to take big vehicles off of our incredibly congested roads. Something I’m quite passionate about as you might have spotted from my support for electric scooters.

You can check out this update in Google Maps right now and is available on both desktop and mobile.

Amazon Prime Day 2019: A Guide For Irish Shoppers

Marty
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0
Amazon Prime Day 2019: A Guide For Irish Shoppers

This is a guide for Amazon Prime Day 2019. We also have an updated guide for 2020 but read both! They’re slightly different.

Read Prime Day 2020 Guide

The consumerism is strong with this one! Amazon has literally made up a new shopping season akin to Black Friday. Amazon Prime Day was created back in 2015 by the online shopping giant. It’s one of those simple but genius moves by a company as in the first year Amazon saw their sales grow by 60% above the daily average. While Amazon’s operational ethics are questionable and many opt-out from shopping with them for moral reasons if you do want to bag a bargain this Prime Day, here’s what you need to know.

When is Amazon Prime Day 2019?

Amazon Prime Day 2019 starts on Monday, July 15 and will run right the way through Tuesday, July 16. You might be feeling slightly put out by the fact it’s a 48 hour shopping event during the week. I have a few ideas as to why this might be. A lot of people will be using Amazon Prime for the first time during Prime Day and Amazon wants them to experience the speedy shipping that they offer. Offers also change throughout the day, so Amazon probably wants their best people on the job and in the office.

What is Amazon Prime?

Pretty much everyone can shop on Amazon. Our own research carried out in Ireland shows that 34% of people in Ireland shop on Amazon.co.uk.
Amazon Prime is a paid membership that gets you access to special offers and faster shipping. Next questions is usually around what this means for Irish shoppers. Largely, having an Amazon Prime Membership comes with some great benefits even when shopping in Ireland. I pay for a Prime Membership and I’m using it nearly every week. It’s still a bit of a mystery why Amazon doesn’t offer a website specifically for Ireland yet, so to get the most out of Prime you might need to route your orders through a service like Parcel Motel.
Anyway, if you’re thinking of bagging a good deal in this year’s Prime Day sale and you’re new to all of this, you can benefit from a free trial of Prime membership. This is a 30-day trial that won’t cost you a penny. Just sign up for free over on the Amazon.co.uk website and you’ll also be able to access Amazon Prime Music and Prime Video.

What Are the Best Prime Day Deals for 2019?

This is pretty hard to tell right now because we’re still a few days away from things kicking off. Amazon has teased with a few launch offers and hinted at what else might be getting reduced come Monday, July 15.

Amazon Echo Special Offer

amazon prime offer ireland
If you’ve yet to grab yourself an Amazon Echo, you’ll be able to bag one of these during the Prime Day sale for just €80. This is a first-generation Echo, but it’s still an incredible piece of kit with a cracking speaker. Amazon appears to be positioning this as one of their flagship offers for Prime Day 2019.

20% Off Amazon Own Brand

Amazon has also taken 20% off their own brand everyday essentials. This covers a wide range or products, but naturally, I’m most interested in electronics and accessories.

Amazon Fire TV Stick

This was Amazon’s top seller last year and it’s the one product I’m really after this year too. At little more than €22, the Fire TV Stick is great if you’re a Prime Video subscriber, but you can also install third party apps for additional streaming. Not that I’d be into that craic now at all.

Prime Day Launches

This is a more unusual one this year. For Prime Day 2019, Amazon Prime members will be able to buy brand new products from the Prime Launches range. This is a really impressive range of products too. I’ve had a chance to test out some of the items on show like the:

That’s just three of the products on show, all from the Anker range of companies. I’ve tried out all of these products and absolutely loved them. Is there a better time than Prime Day to buy yourself a robotic vacuum?

We can also take a hint from last year as to what’ll sell well this year. As always, even beyond the first-generation Echo being on special offer, all other Echo products are fair game. If you were to ask me what the one product I’m thinking about buying this year is, I’d have to say the Amazon Fire TV stick. This was also the top product worldwide last year, but this year, keep an eye out for bundle deals. You might even spot a bargain that includes the impressive new Echo Show.

fire stick prime day
In the UK and Ireland, an electric Bosch drill topped the product listings, but from around the rest of the world, there was a lot of different products in demand from water filters to cans of Coca-Cola.

Did you Know you Can Share Your Prime Membership?

This I just learned about. You can add one other adult and up to four kids to your Prime membership. This means if you can’t watch the offers changing, someone else will be able to look for themselves and grab their own favourite deals on Prime. You can also share digital content around the household too.
If you’re a Prime member, read more about how to create an Amazon Household.

Will Amazon Deliver to Ireland?

Delivery to Ireland can be straight forward or quite complicated, depending on what you’re buying. For most products, you’ll get Prime member benefits like free and fast delivery without any hassle. But then, from time to time, you’ll find a seller that won’t ship to the Republic of Ireland. Hell, sometimes they won’t even deliver to Northern Ireland despite the fact that’s in the United Kingdom.
The problem is often related to lithium-ion batteries in electronics not being permitted in the hold of cargo aeroplanes. As a result, the old Parcel Motel trick won’t work either because the virtual UK address they give you is located in Northern Ireland. The workaround here is to use An Post’s AddressPal service instead. Back when this service launched, the big benefit of using this service was their virtual US addresses. They now also offer virtual UK addresses and theirs is based on mainland UK. So if needs be, that should get you nearly everything that you want delivered to your local post office.
That should be nearly everything you need to know about surviving Prime Day in Ireland. While Amazon Ireland might never happen officially, we can still cash in on some bargains this Prime Day. Have a question I’ve not answered? Pop it in the comments below and we’ll come back to you.

Check PriceSpy.ie

My final tip is one that actually stands 365 days a year. You should always check PriceSpy.ie before you make a gadget purchase. PriceSpy basically scans popular websites for a wide range of products and lets you compare prices. So that great deal you’ve spotted on Amazon for Prime Day, take a second and check it’s not cheaper in D.I.D. I always check the site before I buy to make sure I’m getting the best deal for myself!

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