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Huawei P30 Pro Review: Looking At My Latest Daily Rider

Marty
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Huawei P30 Pro Review: Looking At My Latest Daily Rider

Well, tech is never boring, is it? I ride my Xiaomi scooter wondering if I’ll be stopped by police. Then I find out it could fall apart at any moment (being overly dramatic there), all the while knowing in the back of my mind, my Huawei P30 Pro is having a rough time in the media because Google might pull support in the next few months. More drama than Maura is bringing to Love Island. Yes, I’m on that bandwagon too.

Leaving all the drama aside, I’ve been using the P30 Pro for the past few months so it’s only fair I tell you what the phone is actually like right?

P30 Pro Design

The Huawei P30 Pro is a gorgeous phone to look at. While I half expected a notch along the lines of the Mate 20 Pro, Huawei instead went for the tear-drop design featured on OnePlus. The result is even more screen for your viewing pleasure.

p30 and p30 pro
The Black P30 Pro alongside the Breathing Crystal P30

There’s one call out I just can’t ignore on the screen though. It’s not Gorilla Glass. This baffles me, with Huawei did opt for aluminosilicate glass, but just not Gorilla Glass. I know I sometimes buy into brand too much, but Gorilla Glass really is excellent, which is why I did add a screen protector to my P30 Pro – but that had its own problems.

Moving on from the screen, we get back into lots of good news. The feel of the phone’s aluminium body is ultra-premium and the plastic back on the phone doesn’t feel cheap in the slightest. It does attract quite a lot of fingerprints though, so a case, as always, is a must.

Despite the tear-drop design, Huawei still managed to ram a 32MP front-facing camera into the screen. They also did something very new hear, removing a physical speaker from above the camera and placing it behind the screen. While unusual, it’s fine and just takes a little getting used to when you start making and taking calls. For playing tunes, it’s slighter louder than the Mate 20 Pro, the only major flaw I could find with that phone. The P30 Pro is louder thanks to the bottom speaker moving out of the charge port.

The P30 Pro Camera

I’ve already said too much without talking about the P30 Pro camera. It’s absolutely stunning. Huawei tends to bring something new to the table every time with their Leica-powered lenses. For example, in the past they brought Ultra-wide angle. Sounds simple, but it genuinely changes the way you shoot photos. This time, they brought out super-zoom, or as I call it “creepy zoom”.

The P30 Pro is capable of 10x optical zoom and upto 50x hybrid zoom. The result is astonishing. Here’s a shot I grabbed down in Dublin’s Docklands.

Obviously, the more you zoom the less quality you get, but it’s still astonishing what this phone is able to capture from far away. The quality of shots using the optical lenses is even more remarkable. The optical lenses include a 0.6 Ultra-wide angle Lens, a regular lens, and then both 5x and 10x zoom.

I’ve said to a few people that the P30 Pro is capable of taking a shot and making it look even better than what your shooting in real life looks like. This is down to Huawei’s AI-powered software that aids you in taking photos. The phone can now recommend over one thousand scenarios and optimise your settings for your subject.

The P30 Pro makes you feel more like a photographer than a smartphone user

There are three members of the Goosed team who now have P30 Pros, and we had a chat about them recently. We all said we found ourselves heading out for a walk or constantly being on the lookout for a great photo. The P30 Pro makes you feel more like a photographer than a smartphone user.

Finally, the DXO Mark score of 112 officially makes this the best smartphone camera on the market. They’ve really dived into the detail over there, so that’s worth a read for sure.

P30 Pro Hardware

Huawei continues to excel here. I’m going to include battery here too, even though the truth is Huawei’s incredible battery is down to software as much as anything. I regularly get two full days out of the P30 Pro. By that I mean, charge overnight, use my phone all day, sleep, use my phone all day and charge at night. Two full days of usage. That’s nothing short of remarkable. Also, if you’re ever caught rapid without power, the fast-charging on this thing is ridiculously fast, bringing you from 0% to 70% in about half an hour.

You do have reverse charging too, which we first saw on the Mate 20 Pro and this year saw on the Samsung S10 and S10+. To be honest, this is still in the land of the gimmicks when it comes to phone power sharing. However, if you have wirelessly chargeable accessories, it’s a fantastic feature to have when you travel.

The display brings a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels to the table. This had me worried, but having seen this alongside the likes of Samsung’s 1440 x 3040-pixel S10+ display, the difference is negligible.

If you’re an adventurer, or just in Ireland, there’s more good news. The P30 Pro wraps all the tech onboard in IP68 water and dust resistance. Almost par for the course nowadays in flagships, but important to call it out nonetheless.

The American Sized Elephant in the Room

The P30 Pro landed and everyone was happy. It’s a great phone. The world has been turned upside down in recent years by Trump in the States, but you’d think the phone in your pocket would be safe. Think again. America and China appear to be in a trade war and Huawei has been caught slap bang in the middle of it all. As a result, America temporarily banned U.S. companies from dealing with the Chinese smartphone maker.

It’s all very odd, but it resulted in fears that Google might no longer provide updates or allow Huawei phones to access the Play Store or YouTube. A short stay of all suspensions has been granted until October, but it’s very likely that consumer confidence in Huawei has generally been rocked. It’s an absolute shame considering how much I love the phones Huawei makes and how much I love the P30 Pro.

My honest opinion is that all of this will blow over, but I can totally understand why some people might not be too happy with locking themselves into a two-year contract or forking out €900. There’s quite a bit of uncertainty which only time will clear up. I would point out there was a time when I thought Samsung and their Note 7 had done irreparable damage, but look at them now. The odd joke about the Note 7 is all you hear!

With all of that said, this review focused on the phone as it is today. I just want you to be totally aware of what’s going on.

Is The Huawei P30 Pro a Good Phone? The Verdict

Yes. I’d argue the P30 Pro is the best phone on the market right now. I’ll caveat that with the fact I’ve had very limited time to look at the Samsung S10+, but if it’s the camera that attracts you most to a smartphone, there’s no question. If it’s the battery that matters most, the P30 Pro is the best in the business. All other areas, you could probably take any other phone and compare them to have a debate, but on these two key areas the Huawei P30 Pro reigns supreme

For battery and camera the Huawei P30 Pro reigns supreme

The difficulty here comes with recommending the phone. I have no idea what’s going to happen over in the States. My guy says it’ll all blow over, go buy yourself a Huawei. The most important thing to remember is that any potential impacts appear to be for future Huawei phones, not existing ones. However, you could lose out on getting the latest Android updates on time. It’s a massive unknown.

All I know is that there’s a P30 Pro in my pocket and it’s a cracking piece of kit.

The Goosed Podcast: Huawei and the States

One of the most recent episodes of The Goosed Podcast is all about the U.S. ban on Huawei and what it means for consumers like you.



Whitestone Dome Tempered Glass Screen Protector Review

Marty
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0
Whitestone Dome Tempered Glass Screen Protector Review

Schrödinger’s Glass. When you drop your mobile phone and it lands butter side down, your screen is both perfect and shattered until you look at it. To reduce the risk of a smashed screen, many of us will choose to grab a screen protector. Tempered glass screen protectors have become really popular in recent years. I was really excited to try out Whitestone Dome after seeing Unbox Therapy review their wares. Installation promised to be bubble free and requires a blue light to seal the screen protector and glue to the phone. It’s a serious setup, but is it worth nearly €50 price tag (before delivery costs are added)?

Why Use Tempered Glass Screen Protectors?

I’m a massive believer in the power of Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass is a particularly strong form of glass used by many smartphone manufacturers. The reason is simple; it’s bloody strong stuff. If your phone has Gorilla Glass, it’s much less likely to have a broken screen or even a scratched screen. If you have Gorilla Glass, I’d argue that your requirement for a glass screen protector is greatly reduced; but never removed.

Typically, the best smartphones on the market have this Gorilla Glass, but believe it or not, the Huawei P30 Pro does not. I was pretty shocked to hear this, but in hindsight, it adds up. A friend of mine has been lamenting a scratch on the screen of his new P30 Pro for the past few weeks. I apparently dodged that bullet until a Whitestone Dome tempered glass screen protector landed on my desk.

What Is Whitestone Dome?

Whitestone Dome has pretty much just roared onto the scene. I say roared because in the past few months they’ve been featured and loved by Unbox Therapy which means everyone recognises your brand.

Ok, after watching that, it’s quite obviously a paid advertisement. Lewis isn’t even hosting this video on his own channel anymore from what I can see so let’s take all of that with a pinch of salt.

The video does still lay out the basics. Whitestone Dome is a tempered glass screen protector. It comes with an impressive installation rig which allows you to apply the protector to your phone with a sealant goo before completing the process by using a UV lamp. Very high-tech looking and very cool.

whitestone dome screen protector p30 pro

Whitestone Dome didn’t pay me to do a review, but they did send me a screen protector to test out. Here’s what I thought of it.

Whitestone Dome Screen Protector Review

First of all, the process isn’t super simple. I’d actually say it’s a little intimidating. Whitestone Dome does offer a load of videos online which will help you get started with fitting one of these screen protectors. Here’s an example:

Unfortunately, there was no instruction video for the P30 Pro, so I followed this video. All the steps were more or less the same for both phones, so no problems here.

Once you get over the intimidating look of the whole setup, the installation is actually pretty straight forward. Pop the phone into the rig, follow the instructions really closely and most importantly, make sure your screen is immaculately clean. I used to fit screen protectors as part of my day job, so I spent a lot of time on this bit knowing one stray spec of dust could ruin the whole process. There are even some sticky pads in the pack which you can use to dab and grab specs of dust from your screen. They’ve thought of everything.

Once you drop the liquid sealant stuff onto the screen, it’s game time. Tilt the rig as per instructions and drop the screen protector.

Next up is the UV light.

whitestone dome uv light

Using the UV lights to move up and down the phone, the rays will bond the screen to the phone.

One Month Later Using Whitestone Dome

Shortly after I installed the screen I sat back to relax. Then I noticed an air bubble.

Now, let’s be realistic here. When the screen is off, you can spot the air bubble under the screen protector. But when there’s something on the screen, it’s barely noticeable. I know it’s there but nearly never see it.

More annoyingly, there are some weird streaks which have appeared along the edge of the phone’s screen. Again, the light needs to hit the screen a certain way for me to notice these, but it was disappointing to see all the same. Now there are some extra factors to consider.

air bubbles whitestone dome screen protector
Air bubble visible just over the 22 and glue streaks along the curved edge of the screen.

As I said, I used to fit these things on a regular basis. I’m not saying I’m the world’s best screen protector fitter, but I have experience and it still went wrong. I can only imagine what could happy to people doing this for the first time. Then there’s the price tag. €50 is a lot of moola for something that could result in less than satisfactory results.

Whitestone Dome: The Verdict

A broken screen can ruin your experience when using a mobile phone. Hell, even a scratch can be enough to make you feel like your brand new phone is five years old. I was shocked when I saw the P30 Pro doesn’t use Gorilla Glass and was delighted to be able to add an extra layer of protection. Unfortunately, the Whitestone Dome screen protector, despite quite the epic installation process, ended up with air bubbles. While not distracting, it’s a little disappointing from something that costs €50.

At the same time, broken screens are even more annoying. I guess my verdict here is to always consider getting a screen protector, but keep an eye on the price. I feel the Whitestone Dome installation process is a little bit more gimmick than function.

There is one positive that I’ll end on. It’s pretty cool that the fingerprint sensor still works with this screen protector. It makes sense given this feature on the P30 Pro is driven by light, but it also works on the Ultrasonic sensor of the S10 and S10+.

I do recommend buying a tempered glass screen protector and who knows, maybe you can pick up one of this on sale and it might be worth it.

 

How To Support The LGBTI+ Community

Marty
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0
How To Support The LGBTI+ Community

When I start playing a new game, there’s usually a stage where you’re asked what difficulty you’d like to play on. Typically, I pick in the middle somewhere. In real life, I didn’t have to make that choice. I’m a straight, white, male. My life has been set to easy. On a daily basis I come across some challenges, but in the big scheme of things they’re not that tough. Some other people have their lives set to medium, but I truly believe that members of the LGBTI+ are living in a world where the difficulty is set to that level you can only unlock after you’ve completed the game. It’s incredibly difficult.

June is Pride Month. As part of Pride Month, I wanted to show that Goosed.ie takes a position that supports people to live life whatever way makes them comfortable. Changing our logo to a pride flag is grand, but I wanted to do something more. That’s why we’re raising money for BeLonG To.

LGBTI+ Life Is Easier: The Bar Was Very Low

I’m proud when I think of Ireland legalising gay marriage among some other great referendums in recent years. It’s easy to look at the world through rose-tinted glasses as a result of all these changes, but the LGBTI+ community certainly doesn’t have it easy yet. Just this week in London, a couple were attacked on a London bus. The two women were attacked by a group of young men who taunted them and asked them to kiss.

I was recently in a pub where a group on a birthday bash passed me with printed shirts covered in marker. One had written, “fuck LGBTQ”. To be honest, I’m embarrassed right now to say I didn’t stop the guy and call him out. My silence, I fear, is typical the support that the LGBTI+ gets. I’m totally supportive, but I don’t go that extra mile to stamp out bigotry.

Simply put, members of the LGBTI+ community still face challenges on a daily basis that I can’t even imagine. When I think of that and then think about how difficult being a teenager can be in general. That’s why we’re supporting BeLong To this Pride Month.

Supporting LGBTI+ This Pride Month

As I was updating the Goosed.ie logo, I felt it was a bit superficial and wanted to do something just a little bit bigger. A few Google searched later and I found BeLonG To who had actually written about the young people within the LGBTI+ community need more than “token gestures” of support. BeLonG To is a national organisation supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland since 2003.

With 90% of Irish LGBTI+ youths struggling with their mental health and 76% of LGBTI+ youths finding school bullying as a source of anxiety, it becomes clear how difficult life can be for young people in a world that’s not always accepting.

So in short, that’s it. I feel it’s a great cause for us to throw our support behind. I do ask that if you can at all please support BeLonG To. By donating you will be supporting an organisation that makes a massive positive impact on young people’s lives.

Also, we’re offering advice and support to anyone from the LGBTI+ community who would like experience in writing, reviewing, managing social media, email marketing or SEO. Get in touch with us if it’s something you’d like to try out.

We’ve pinned a post on our Facebook page where you can donate to BeLonG To. It’s also available below. If you have any hassle or questions about donating, drop me a mail.

Xiaomi Recall: Xiaomi Recalling Some m365 Electric Scooters in Ireland

Marty
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Xiaomi Recall: Xiaomi Recalling Some m365 Electric Scooters in Ireland

I think it’s safe to say I’ve been a big promoter of electric scooters in Ireland. Legal battles aside, these are great green modes of transport to beat the congestion of cities like Dublin. I love my scooter. It’s a Xiaomi m365. But unfortunately, today I found out Xiaomi is conducting a recall of around 10,000 electric scooters globally. While Ireland is not listed as a country involved, unfortunately, we are. Mine is being recalled.

Why is Xiaomi Recalling Scooters?

In a statement issued by Xiaomi today, the affecting my scooter and over 10,000 others surrounds a screw where the scooter folds. The full issue reads:

“We recently became aware of a potential safety issue with the Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter (Model: M365), as it was determined that in a limited number of production units, a screw in the folding apparatus has the potential to come loose, causing the vertical component to break from the main body while in use.”

Xiaomi advises that should you be affected by this issue, you should “immediately stop using the Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter (M365) until you have determined whether their scooter is part of the recall.”

Affected countries include:

  • Germany (613pcs)
  • Spain (509pcs)
  • Denmark (258pcs)
  • Kazakhstan (200pcs)
  • Myanmar (175pcs)
  • Colombia (97pcs)
  • Turkey (80pcs)
  • Laos (79pcs)
  • Italy (37pcs)
  • Hungary (34pcs)
  • Greece (31pcs)
  • Korea (30pcs)
  • Macau (25pc)
  • United Arab Emirates (22pcs)
  • Belgium (17pc)
  • Portugal (16pcs)
  • Singapore (14pcs)
  • Russia (1pc)
  • Thailand (1pc)
  • unidentified (169pcs)

Ireland is not listed here and could fall under either the UK or unidentified. I bought mine through Three Ireland and have reached out to other retailers to ask if they are also involved.

Is Your Scooter Being Recalled?

Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to find out if you’re scooter has been affected. It’s all down to the serial number. The affected ranges are:

  • 21074/00000316 – 21074/00015107
  • 16133/00541209 – 16133/00544518

You can also check this online using Xiaomi’s website.

Here’s where you’ll find your scooter’s serial number.

xiaomi electric scooter recall ireland

What if my scooter has been recalled?

If you’re affected, you can provide your contact details to Xiaomi and receive next steps within 72 hours. It looks like Xiaomi won’t be replacing scooters, but instead repairing them. The statement on their site also states that all of this will be conducted, “repairs of Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter [will be carried out] at no cost to you”.

Xiaomi Email Update

Xiaomi promised an email update within 72 hours and have delivered on that. Kind of. Unfortunately, the email had nothing new beyond what was said on the recall page. It also has no info specifically on Ireland. I’m going to reach out to Xiaomi and find out what the story is. Here’s their update:

As you know, it was determined that your Mi Electric Scooter (M365) is part of the product safety recall program. The recall will begin on June 26th for United Kingdom or July 1st for other markets. Several days prior, you will receive an email with additional information and instructions on how to have your Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter (M365) repaired at no cost to you.

We thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this issue.

If you have any questions, pop them in the comments below and I’ll try get you some answers.

Three Ireland Sending Letters to Xiaomi Scooter Customers

On 12.06.2019, Three Ireland sent a letter to customers who purchased an electric scooter from them.

letter from three ireland to electric scooter owners

Nothing really new in the letter that we didn’t already know from Xiaomi’s communications.

I did see another scooter rider receive a communication this week which seemed to suggest all Xiaomi m365 riders should stop using their scooter regardless of the serial number. I’ve reached out to Xiaomi for further communication.

Shared Life: Is Ownership A Thing Of The Past?

Marty
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Shared Life: Is Ownership A Thing Of The Past?

There’s a certain pressure on Irish people to buy a home. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is part of growing up for everyone but that’s not the case. Sure enough in Spain, about 80% of people buy, in Ireland that’s closer to 70% and in Germany, the rate drops to about 50%. In fact, many Germans are not bothered about buying at all, opting instead to rent their gaff for life. Why? Well, rental spaces in Germany are often quite nice. You furnish the place yourself and get to make it feel like home. It’s also good value.

To get this experience in Ireland, you’ve got to buy. On the surface, it’s weird to us but think about it. When you rent a car on holidays, you’re often renting a car that’s nicer the one you own. This is the power of rentals and this is why sharing is the future and ownership is in the past. Let me give you some more examples.

Dublin Bikes, Coca Cola Bikes and Bleeper Bikes

Getting around Dublin can be an absolute nightmare. Well, that’s if you drive. Last week I spent nearly an hour getting from the city centre to Dublin airport. We don’t have decent public transport and congestion is rife. I choose to scoot, but many turn to bikes. There are some options for bike ownership, like the Bike to Work scheme, but bikes have a bad habit of going missing in the city. You need to look after them, lock them and fix them when you get a flat because of broken glass on a Monday morning.

Ownership of a bike, for many, can suck. That’s why bike share systems like Dublin Bikes or Bleeper Bikes have become massively popular. A similar service called Coca Cola bikes is available in Limerick, Galway and Cork. Instead of paying a couple of hundred euro for a bike, you pay for the bike only when you use it. Depending on your usage, this could work out substantially cheaper. Regardless of your usage, there’s a fair chance it’s a lot less hassle.

The systems aren’t perfect. Bleeper Bike met resistance from Dublin City council and Dublin Bike stands can be empty or full, meaning you can’t take or drop off a bike. However, the advantages outweigh the negatives for many. It’ll be interesting to see if electric scooter sharing ever comes to Ireland, an idea that, right now, I’m against.

GoCar and Yuko

While I swear by my electric scooter to get around Dublin, I’m a country boy. That means I do still have a car. My partner drives it more than me, but living in the city centre we’re extremely lucky. We’ve got a parking spot that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg for a start. But we’re in a minority. When I think of the sheer number of apartments in the city where parking isn’t an option, I struggle to grasp how anyone can really own a car in Dublin.

That’s why companies like GoCar or Toyota’s Yuko are extremely popular. Instead of buying a car, you just rent one for as long as you need it. It’s not terribly expensive either. GoCar costs about €8 per hour and includes fuel, insurance and most on-street parking. If you just need a car the odd time, car-sharing makes way more sense than actually buying a motor.

There’s one fault in the car-sharing systems in Ireland. You need to drop your car back to where you picked it up from. A real pity because I’ve seen these systems work in Germany and they are mighty. Just pick up the car and leave it where you like. You can even change city with some providers.

Faults aside, car-sharing is one of the best things to happen to Dublin residents who need a trip to IKEA but don’t want to buy a car for that privilege.

Be sure to give us a follow on your social platform of choice as I’ll be test driving Yuko really soon too.

Entertainment: Spotify, Netflix and Gaming

The shift from an ownership to rental mentality goes beyond big purchases. There was a time when buying CDs from your favourite musicians was the norm. Buying DVDs to add to your home cinema selection was almost a collectors effort. Gaming meant you needed a console and a few bob to pop into GameStop for a few games.

All of these things have gone out the window in recent years.

Instead of hoarding physical discs and tapes, we stream from a plethora of services like Netflix, Prime Video and Spotify. Gaming is just about to go through the most radical change too. Google will release Stadia in November later this year. Google Stadia removed the need for people to own a games console or even games.

People just aren’t bothered with owning all of this stuff and instead are more than happy to pay monthly fees to have the option of dipping in and out of entertainment on tap.

So the question now is, will ownership mentality continue to change in Ireland? Will we move away from buying and shift towards renting more? Let us know what you think in the comments.

 

 

Google Stadia: Which Games Will Launch In Ireland?

Marty
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Google Stadia: Which Games Will Launch In Ireland?

The ultimate democratisation of gaming is here. Google Stadia will remove the need for games consoles, with Google hoping to do for gaming what Netflix did for movie rentals. Or perhaps, did to movie rentals. Serverside gaming means it doesn’t matter what gear you have. All you need is a controller and a Chromecast along with a decent internet connection. No updates. No installs. No consoles eventually being obsolete. You’ll need a Google Stadia Pro membership which costs €9.99 per month, but that’s it.

You can read more about Google Stadia and how it works, or we can get into games that will be available when Stadia launches in Ireland this November.

Games Confirmed For Irish Google Stadia Launch

I’d imagine there’s going to be even more games made available closer to launch (I’m looking at you FIFA 2020), but the time being, the list is still – mighty!

  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Ubisoft
  • Baldur’s Gate 3 – Larian Studios
  • Borderlands 3 – 2K
  • The Crew 2 – Ubisoft
  • Darksiders Genesis – THQ Nordic
  • Destiny 2 – Bungie
  • Doom – Bethesda Softworks
  • Doom Eternal – Bethesda Softworks
  • Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 – Bandai Namco
  • The Elder Scrolls Online – Bethesda Softworks
  • Farming Simulator 19 – Giants Software
  • Final Fantasy 15 – Square Enix
  • Football Manager – Sega
  • Get Packed – Coatsink
  • GRID – Codemasters
  • Gylt – Tequila Works
  • Just Dance – Ubisoft
  • Metro Exodus – Deep Silver
  • Mortal Kombat 11 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
  • NBA 2K – 2K
  • Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid – nWay Games
  • Rage 2 – Bethesda Softworks
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider – Square Enix
  • Samurai Shodown – SNK
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Square Enix
  • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint – Ubisoft
  • Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – Ubisoft
  • Tomb Raider Definitive Edition – Square Enix
  • Thumper – Drool
  • Trials Rising – Ubisoft
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood – Bethesda Softworks

Do you have to buy these titles?

Yes and no. The way Stadia works is based on two models. Google Stadia Pro members, who pay €9.99 per month, will have a massive selection of games available to them as part of their membership, all in 4K and 60FPS. Google Stadia Base members, will be able to buy title by title and play in 1080p. From what I’ve gathered so far, even Google Stadia Pro members will likely have to pay for some games.

You can pre-order the Google Stadia Founder’s Edition today for just €129.99 getting nearly €300 worth of gear.

 

Google Stadia Will Launch in Ireland This November

Marty
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Google Stadia Will Launch in Ireland This November

Time for some exciting gaming news. Google Stadia is officially launching later this year and even better still, it’s coming to Ireland. Here’s everything you need to know about the ultimate democratisation of gaming.

What is Google Stadia?

To be totally honest, I can see Google Stadia being the end of console gaming. The best way to describe Stadia is to remember what Netflix did to DVDs. We used to rent or buy DVD’s to watch in a DVD player to enjoy the latest movies. Netflix came along, and suddenly the need for DVD players disappeared because we no longer watched movies on DVD.

Google Stadia will do the same for gaming. You pay a monthly subscription, just like Netflix, and stream games to your TV instead of using a console. You need a few bits and pieces to make this happen, but it’s kind of as simple as that.

But, surely you need a massive internet connection?

You’ll need a pretty decent internet connection for Google Stadia, but nothing too insane. Now, I do understand that rural internet is in a jock in Ireland and that it’s very easy for the country boy in Dublin to say the internet requirements aren’t unrealistic. Regardless, here’s what you’ll need:

4K at 60 fps will require a minimum connection speed of 30 Mbps is recommended.

Buffer and lag-free 1080p games at 60 fps, a connection speed of 25 Mbp is considered optimal.

What else do you need for Google Stadia?

The most important thing here is what you don’t need. You don’t need a games console. Google Stadia can be played on TV through Chromecast, laptops, tablets and Pixel phones like Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL.

The most important thing here is what you don’t need -You don’t need a games console

If you’re opting to play on Chromecast, you will need a Google Stadia controller and a Chromecast. You’ll also need a decent internet connection.

Finally, you’ll need a Google Stadia membership which costs €9.99 per month.

If you’re a paying Stadia Pro member, you’ll have new games regularly made available to you but will likely still need to purchase some titles. However, if you want to you can play games using a Stadia Base membership. This has no monthly fee and is limited to 1080p.

As part of the Google Stadia launch, you can buy the Founder’s Edition package. This gives you nearly €300 worth of gear for €129.99. In the Founder’s Edition pack you’ll get:

  • A Chromecast Ultra
  • A limited-edition Night Blue Stadia Controller
  • Three months of Stadia Pro
  • A three month Buddy Pass to bring one friend along for the ride
  • Dibs on selecting a Stadia Name

If you’re thinking multiplayer, you can pick up an additional controller for €69.99.

What games are available on Google Stadia?

Alongside the test game Assassin’s Creed, from the teaser trailer, it looked like we’d definitely get DOOM and NBA, but now that the announcement has been made, we’re getting a whole lot more. Stadia Pro members will be able to play Destiny 2, including all previous add-ons and the upcoming Shadowkeep expansion, including annual pass.

Here’s the latest complete list of games that will launch on Stadia in Ireland this November.

When does Google Stadia launch?

Google Stadia launches this November in 14 countries. Most importantly, Ireland is included in the launch countries alongside the U.S., Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. More countries will be added in 2020.

The TL;DR: Why you should be excited

There’s nothing worse than sitting down to play a game only to see there’s a 2GB update waiting. Everything is handled by Google up in the cloud. What does that mean? You don’t have to wait around for updates. The monthly membership model means you can dip in and out of your gaming entertainment needs. Going travelling? Cancel it for a few months. Finally, it’s future proof. When the next Xbox comes out, your old one is dead in the water. Google Stadia is, in theory, futureproof.

The big things to remember here are:

VAR – The real game changer

Jon
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0
VAR – The real game changer

Think back a year ago, the sun was shining, the World Cup was on and we slowly but surely heard the sounds of “Football’s coming home” for it to eventually not come home. While the competition was amazing there was one thing that stood out in everyone’s mind…VAR. Since then we have seen technology play a massive part in the spectacle of the game, whether that’s the long delays, the swings in decisions most of the time nobody has a clue what’s going on.

With tonight’s big Champions League Final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspurs one things for sure, technology is going to have a big part to play. So what exactly is VAR?

What is Video Assistant Referee or VAR?

Ok, so let’s start with the basics here. VAR is made up of a team of three who’s job it is to work together to review decisions made by a match referee through video replays. Nice and simple really.

Each team is to be made up of a current/former referee, an assistant and a video operator. Rather than being touchside and the fourth official, these guys will be in the safety of a nice warm room full of video equipment for them to review any of the four following incidents:

  1. Goals or violations in the play prior to the goal
  2. Penalties
  3. Red Cards
  4. Mistaken identity when awarding a card

A referee will still have the overall power though as for a decision to be overturned it will have to be a “clear error”.

The process for reviewing a decision can work in two ways; either the referee can request a review after making a decision or the VAR team can recommend one. This is where it get’s a bit sticky for me, when reviewing an incident made by the VAR team, the ref will watch the incident themselves on the touchline. We have seen in Champions League games this season that can both add to the spectacle and really confuse people. The difference between something like this at home or in the stadium must be incredible:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF28AeBTL0g

Genuinely sorry that’s not in English, but you get my point. At home we see the replays, we can debate as to if we are experts and talk about the natural shape and all that bs while waiting on a decision. In the stadium, however, fans see a ref at a monitor and they have no idea why. I personally think taking a leaf from other sports and using the big screens in the stadium would be a better idea. Fans can see the incident for themselves, the delay in play wouldn’t feel the same as players and fans alike view the tape and everyone feels better about the referee decision, but hey what would I know.

Goal line technologyImage result for goal line technology

Anyone who is a Man City or Liverpool can tell you how close a game of football can be. This season as an example, the picture in the image above, that looks over the line right? Wrong, the ball was all but 11mm over. The system used here is called Hawk-Eye

The Hawkeye system is actually used in a range of sports such as tennis, cricket, football and most recently GAA. Just ask any Kilkenny man how much they covet Hawkeye since it denied Tipperary an All Ireland in 2014.

In essence, it uses a series of complicated computer systems to visually track the trajectory of a ball and then display a record of its statistically most likely path as a moving image or GIF. Developed by Dr Paul Hawkins in the UK, Hawkeye was originally created in 2001 and was first used by Channel 4 during a test match between Pakistan and England.

This technology has also been used in Tennis, where a player gets three views per game if they feel an important shot was in or out.  The TMO in rugby in some countries such as France also has such access to this piece of kit in order to decipher in a moment’s notice whether or not to award a try. It’s been used in soccer for the last number of years and simply if the ball goes over the line, the referee’s watch confirms it.

So technology has started playing a huge part in the sport and tonight is set to be no different. Since the adaption of gadgetry in the game, we have seen how different things can be. But that got us thinking, what big moments in the history of the game could have been different with technology.

Top 5 moments that could have been different with VAR or GLT.

Tottenham Hotspurs Ghost Goal

It remains a classic Premier League moment although it didn’t have a huge influence on the table come the end of the campaign. United (and everyone else) were blitzed by Jose Mourinho’s debut season and his Chelsea side won the title at a canter – twelve points ahead of Arsenal and a whopping eighteen ahead of United. Spurs meanwhile finished ninth, three points shy of a Uefa Cup place. Simple Goal Line Technology would have solved that. Maybe Spurs will get that big slice of luck back tonight?

Thierry Henry Hand of God

It was a heroic Irish performance that counted for nothing at the Stade de France in Paris where the referee’s failure to spot Thierry Henry’s use of his hand when setting up the night’s decisive goal for William Gallas ended the visitors’ hopes of making it to South Africa next summer. Really the less said about this the better, in his position we would all do the same but still with VAR it never would have stood.

Frank Lampard Vs Germany

What a hit, almost a shame it wasn’t counted..almost, they might have actually gone on to win the World Cup that year. It was probably the moment the push for Goal Line Technology became a thing.

Diego Maradona Vs England

 

England had rotten luck before technology didn’t they. The Hand of God is one of the most iconic moments in football, with VAR we would never have had this exact moment. Debate that amongst yourselves.

South Korea Vs Italy 2002

South Korea’s entire 2002 World Cup campaign can be called controversial but the most glaring match in the tournament that was evidence of this was the match against Italy in the Round of 16.

After the match was surprisingly drawn at one after added time, Italy was denied what appeared to be a perfectly good goal for offsides. Shortly afterward, Francisco Totti was given his second yellow card of the match for what was thought by the referee to be a dive.

However, replays showed that Totti appeared to trip on his own feet and wasn’t diving as originally thought by the referee.

Searching Movie Review: Every Parents Worst Nightmare

Marty
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Searching Movie Review: Every Parents Worst Nightmare

Sky Cinema Premiere throws up some junk movies from time to time. In an effort to churn out regular premieres, Sky lets a few bits of junk make their way onto our screens. One of the latest movies to feature is Searching, but I’ve got to admit, it’s quite good.

What’s Searching About?

Searching is a 2018 thriller about a father following a trail of online evidence and social media posts to find his missing sixteen-year-old daughter. Like I said, a parent’s worst nightmare. It took me a few minutes to even notice the film was going this way, but the entire movie is shot completely on computer screens or smartphone screens. It’s quite remarkable how director Aneesh Chaganty shot this entire movie. It’s really cool, and as a result quite a success. The unusually low budget of $1 million returned $75 million worldwide.

Is Searching Worth A Watch?

In short, Searching is very good. It’s unpredictable, well shot and, as I mentioned earlier, gripping. It’s also very relatable and in many ways portrays the dangers of teens living online. Now, I’m not into scare-mongering and technology-based movies regularly go down these routes. One of the best examples being The Circle which just goes off on one about how evil big tech companies are. Sure, often true, but also overly dramatic. Searching, instead, focuses on lapses in security that many of us are guilty of. Irresponsible social media posts that many of us are guilty of. And online naivety that many of us are guilty of.

People Can Be Dickheads

The reason Searching is so good, is because it makes you think. It makes you think about how you post things online. It makes you think about the unbelievable power of the online world. In one way, it made me consider all the bad about social media. There’s lots of stuff in there about how people become absolute dickheads and lose all humanity during times of tragedy. Take a step back from the keyboard and you realise there’s like family trawling the internet for any hint of evidence that might help find a lost loved one.

Online Isn’t To Blame

But then, Searching also made me consider that social media and online is powered by people. People can be dickheads, but people can also be incredible. The internet is a mightily powerful tool in the right hands, but we often just focus on the negative. Even when it comes to the news coverage of the missing girl in Searching. They know people have a morbid curiosity in the worst side of humanity. As long as we give horrible media outlets our attention, they’ll continue to cover the worst side of humanity without a care for the impact it has on victims and grieving families.

Searching: The Verdict

I’ve had a soft spot for the lead actor in Searching for a long time. Many remember John Cho from Harold and Kumar or American Pie, but he’s matured a lot and in Searching, he delivers an incredible effort.

Searching will lead you on quite the journey through a fathers despair and he tries to piece together the truth from fragments of social media stories. I thought I would hate this movie, but I actually think it’s a great watch. If you’ve got Sky Cinema this is definitely worth a bit of your weekend.

Pre-Order Now: The New Amazon Echo Show Is Incredible Value

Marty
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Pre-Order Now: The New Amazon Echo Show Is Incredible Value

It felt like Amazon had gone a little quiet on the devices front lately. Could this all have been down to letting general privacy concerns in the world die down a little bit? Maybe. The most important thing is that Amazon has just announced a new product and it’s massively exciting, not least because of its price. The Amazon Echo Show 5 is now available to pre-order for just €89.99.

it’s massively exciting, not least because of its price at €89.99

What is the Amazon Echo Show?

The reason I love the Amazon Echo Show is because it has a screen. It’s the one thing that holds back a lot of the Echo range. Yup, the new Echo Show comes with a 5.5-inch screen which adds quite a lot to your voice search experience. For example, if you look up a recipe, you can now see a step by step guide on the screen in front of you, making it much easier to follow.

amazon echo in the kitchen

There’s also a HD camera. Combined with the screen, this makes the new Echo Show 5 a great video calling device. I’ve got myself and my mother an Echo Spot and it really is perfect for video calls. I just appear in the sitting room and we can have a quick catch up.

Amazon is finally adopting a privacy by design approach too by adding a physical camera lens cover for those who understandably and correctly don’t want an internet-connected camera pointing at them all the time.

Lacking Proper YouTube Support

Finally, if you pop one of these in the kitchen, is a really easy way to watch videos on Amazon Prime Video. Just remember, native support for YouTube is still a little flakey. I asked Amazon if they now natively supported YouTube and was told they were excited about the work with Google to bring the official YouTube app to Fire TV.

“Today, customers can watch video content from Amazon Prime Video and Vevo among others on Echo Show, or use the built-in browser to access their favourite website such as YouTube or Reddit”. So you won’t be able to ask Alexa to play YouTube content which is a real pity.

you won’t be able to ask Alexa to play YouTube content which is a real pity

The promising thing is that YouTube is indeed being supported on Fire TV which means Google and Amazon are speaking to each other. Which is nice.

Privacy by Design

As I mentioned, Amazon has begun to put privacy front and centre. The most visually obvious example of this on the new Amazon Echo Show is the physical webcam cover. This is crucial because even I cover my webcams, including the one on my Echo Spot. I just don’t believe software disables can be trusted completely. So, for me, the physical webcam cover on the Echo Show 5 is brilliant.

privacy amazon

Amazon is also introducing new ways to delete your voice recordings on all Alexa-enabled devices. Fittingly it’s voice-controlled which means you just ask Alexa to delete what you just said. This, along with a new Alexa Privacy Hub, will offer a single source of information on how Echo devices are designed as well as the controls you have over your Alexa experience.

Amazon Echo Show Pricing and Availability

It terms of colours, the Echo Show 5 is available in Charcoal and Sandstone and costs just €89.99. I’m massively impressed by that price. You can also choose to purchase a magnetic stand that lets you tilt the device to adjust the viewing and camera angles for only €19.99. Both are available for pre-order today – hit that link and if you pre-order we get a little kickback from Amazon. 

Which Countries Will It Be Available In?

The Echo Show 5 will be available in Ireland, the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia next month. As always, be sure to check if you get cheaper delivery to UK addresses and if you do, check out Parcel Motel’s virtual UK address service.

Be sure to give us a follow because we’ll be taking a more in-depth look at the Echo Show 5 once it launches.

 
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