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Social Media Scams and is it Really Facebook’s Fault?

Neal
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Social Media Scams and is it Really Facebook’s Fault?

It used to be so simple and quaint. You open your email and lo and behold there is an email from a Nigerian prince who needs your help dispersing his $30 million inheritance. Alternatively, you may have been contacted by the super helpful “Microsoft” engineer who wants to fix your computer, because it has a really bad virus. Oh how we miss the gentle ways of years gone by.

These days, with the explosion in social media platforms and millions of us using and interacting with them on an hourly/daily basis, scammers are much more sophisticated in how they approach you and steal your money. Facebook and two of the biggest social media apps which they own and operate, Instagram & WhatsApp, are hitting the headlines lately for all the wrong reasons, namely scams. So what are most common scams on these platforms and how do we protect ourselves ?

Facebook Scamming

Since (Facebook) time began, scammers have been actively seeking ways of using the platform to scam you. These scams take many forms but some of the most common and frequent are the following.

Facebook charges. A common scam is a message appearing in your thread that Facebook will start charging soon for their service. If you don’t pay up, then your account will be deleted. Helpfully, it also proves a handy link to the website where you can pay using your credit card details and equally handy for the scammers, access to your money.

The Fake Personality Ad. Last year, British money expert Martin Lewis threatened to sue Facebook over fake ads purporting to be from him and duping people into entering their credit card details on fake sites for non existent financial advice. He’s not alone, many fellow personalities and large news organisations are also being faked with scammers offering get rich schemes via reputable looking websites.

The SOS message from a Friend. This is a relatively common scam but surprisingly effective. A message appears from someone on your friends list saying they are in some kind of trouble abroad and need you to wire them some money urgently. What happens next is fairly obvious, but let’s just say you will be wondering why your next credit card bill has gone through the roof.

Instagram Scamming

Hang on, isn’t Instagram mostly a platform for people to post fabulous pictures of themselves in (mostly) imaginary poses, alluding to an equally imagined and fake life ? Or for “Influencers” to advertise products that will make you as fabulous and beautiful as them? Yes, it’s all that, although in fairness it’s also a bit of fun and harmless in a superficial way. However, lately it’s also a magnet for scammers. Here’s some of the most common scams doing the rounds at the moment.

Money Flipping. Here you get a message from an unknown person promising a get rich scheme or investment advice with guaranteed returns. These scams prey on people’s trust by posing as legitimate bankers who can divulge their “top secrets” for a small fee. Other scammers ask for a fee upfront with a guaranteed return within 24 hours. It eventually leads to the scammer requesting additional money to release your “profits”, potentially turning a small loss into a bigger financial hit.

Free Trial Scam. Here a message appears in your thread with an offer for a “free trial” of a product with just the requirement to confirm a valid credit card number to verify your age or guarantee you access to the “limited” supply of free products. Usually this results in you being charged for shipment of your “free” product or worst, your credit card being used nefariously for much larger frauds. 

Fake Ads scam. Wow, a genuine Rolex watch reduced from $10,000 to only $100 today, with only a limited supply of 10 watches. Of course you are going to buy it.  The usual caveat applies. If it sound too good to be true, then it usually is. Which unfortunately will be true, when the plain package that arrives weeks later contains an obvious and really bad Rolex watch rip off.

WhatsApp Scams

Roughly 65 billion messages are sent each day amongst 1.5 billion active WhatsApp users. So it’s easy to see why scammers are targeting this app with increased virulence lately. 

The “WhatsApp Gold” scam is where you receive a message purportedly from a friend that is warning about a video or link about updating to “WhatsApp Gold”. The scam is that the WhatsApp Gold message(which does not exist btw), is really a means to get you to follow the link provided and enter your personal & credit card details, with the obvious fraudulent follow-up.

Another scam is the spreading of misinformation via messages, essentially like the old fashioned chain emails of years gone by. It may not be financial fraud but it can lead to deadly consequences. In India recently, innocent people were being killed by mobs who were acting on malicious and incorrect information spread via WhatsApp. 

So is it really Facebook’s fault?

Many will argue that because Facebook also own Instagram & WhatsApp, they should be held accountable when a scammer uses their platform or apps to perpetuate a crime.

Facebook will respond that it is proactively monitoring for these scams and removes and blocks them are soon as they are spotted. Their view would be they can’t be held accountable for the actions of others on their platform, be these actions nefarious or not. However, let’s get real for a moment. Facebook is a huge corporate organisation with billions of users globally and is the de facto social media platform with huge influence and control over our online and social media activity. With this influence and control comes a duty of care to it’s users to do all it can to help protect them from fraudsters and criminals. People place huge trust in Facebook when they upload so much personal information about themselves. It this trust is broken, be it Facebook’s direct fault or not, people will turn away in droves. Facebook presumably knows this and the need to do a lot more if they are to avoid the fate of earlier competitors such as MySpace or more recently Google+.

How do I help Protect Myself?

Unless you plan to turn off your computer, throw your phone away and go live in a cave in Donegal, you will need to get yourself clued up on how to avoid becoming a victim of these scams, even if you don’t even use any social media. Here are some good links to information on how to spot scams and protect yourself:

Facebook

The Garda website

The CCPC website  

ECC Ireland website

Some advice from Gary on avoiding phone scams

Some advice from Eamon on avoiding banking scams

Some advice from Marty on avoiding fake Facebook competitions

Would You Delete All Your Instagram Posts For Free Flights?

Marty
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Would You Delete All Your Instagram Posts For Free Flights?

Even typing that headline felt ridiculous, but I’m sure for many it would be quite the challenge. Hell, I’d struggle too. But if you can, you could win yourself free flights for a year in the JetBlue All You Can Jet Pass competition.

JetBlue is an American airline and they’ve come up with one of the most ridiculous Instagram competitions I’ve ever seen. The airline will give three competition winners the All You Can Jet Pass, which means free flights for a year to destinations including North America, Central America and the Carribean.

The reason their competition is a bit ridiculous is because they make, what on the surface appears to be, a rake of bot accounts. The competition requires the public to delete all of their Instagram posts and publish just the competition post on their feed until 8th March.

It’s a really bizzare competition, but it’s an interesting concept. Could you give up all your Instagram memories in exchange for a shot to win the #ALLYOUCANJETSWEEPSTAKES? Giving up some posted memories, likes and comments for the chance to make loads more sounds like a no-brainer, right?

Not sure if winning would be of much value for Irish people, but feel free to check it out.

Data Protection Commission Launches First Report

Marty
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Data Protection Commission Launches First Report

We all remember privacy policy gate, right? In the build-up to GDPR coming into power in May 2018, companies lost the plot and destroyed our inboxes with privacy policies. Thankfully, according to a report by the Data Protection Commission of Ireland, public knowledge around data protection has gone far beyond an email inconvenience.

Here are some of the key findings from the DPC’s first annual report which looks at 25 May to 31 December 2018.

The Public’s Concern With Data Protection

The report’s findings show there’s been a significant increase in how the public view their data protection rights. During the period of the report, 4740 valid breaches of data security were recorded versus 2795 in 2017. It’s no coincidence this increase accompanies the introduction of GDPR as the people now realise that companies and organisations have a responsibility to protect the personal data of people who trust them.

My own example is another way GDPR can be used to take back control of your own personal data. In short, I looked at the Catholic church as an organisation who has my personal data without my consent. So I raised it with the DPC. I’m still waiting for this to be resolved, but it’s moving in the right direction, an indicator that people really could take back the power when it comes to their own personal data.

Helen Dixon: Data Protection Commissioner

The Irish DPC is fast becoming the hub of data protection in Europe. The Data Protection Commissioner, Helen Dixon, believes “the rise in the number of complaints and queries demonstrates a new level of mobilisation to action on the part of individuals to tackle what they see as misuse or failure to adequately explain what is being done with their data.”

GDPR has made a massive impact with Dixon stating “Although we are still in the stage of having to bust some myths and misunderstandings that have built up around the GDPR, we feel very optimistic about the improvements we will see in Ireland in personal-data-handling practices over the next few years.”

Data Protection Case Studies

Perhaps the highlight of the report is a collection of case studies which really helped me to understand just how far-reaching GDPR is. In here, you’ll be able to read about how Currys took a customer’s email address for the sending of a receipt, but then this email was used for marketing. There’s also a mention of how Ryanair sent customer details to another customer with the mistake being found out when the two customers ended up talking about the incident.

We’ve reached a stage now where, thanks to GDPR, people have somewhere to go when they fell their data rights have been infringed upon.

I know you didn’t wake up this morning thinking you’d read a data protection report, but those case studies really are interesting. Give it a go, you might like it.

Read the full report.

Zero Latency VR Review: Dublin Gets Epic VR Experience

Marty
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Zero Latency VR Review: Dublin Gets Epic VR Experience

Virtual reality is an incredible experience. I’ve been dipping in and out of it for the past few years, testing out everything from Samsung Galaxy Gear VR to the amazing HTC Vive. Naturally, when I spotted Zero Latency was coming to Dublin, I got a little exited. Like, very excited. So I went along to give it a run so I could bring you this Zero Latency VR review.

What is Zero Latency VR

In testing out quite a few VR platforms and have found most to be fairly cool. Stepping into an immersive virtual world has gone far beyond being cheap and tacky with most experiences now capable of tricking your mind. Even expensive gear like the HTC Vive comes with one massive limitation. You need to stay within a very limited space.

I get it. In order for systems to fit into your gaff, they need to be designed to work in a small space. I live in a one-bed apartment and would love a Vive system. Still, to really experience a virtual world, you want to be able to free roam. That’s what Zero Latency VR gives you.

Based in Sandyford, Zero Latency VR is a 200 square-meter virtual reality gaming arena. The Zero Latency brand is the gold standard globally in VR gaming on an epic scale with 29 venues in 18 countries.

Within the arena, up to eight players can join forces to explore visually stunning worlds and solve puzzles, search a space station for survivors or stand side by side facing wave after wave of zombies.

It’s all made possible by the Zero Latency system which is the usual VR headset, a Razer gaming headset and a backpack filled with lots of VR tech. The setup means you can free-roam around the full 200 square-meter arena without being limited to a few square meters.

Me wearing my Zero Latency VR gear

All of this takes place within a large dark room in Sandyford.

But is it any use?

I test drove a few games with some friends and I’m delighted to say it’s worth every penny.

Zero Latency Games

When you arrive at Zero Latency, you’ll need to pick a game to play. Games include:

  • Engineerium and Zombie Survival
  • Outbreak Origins
  • Singularity

To try get a taste for everything a trip to Zero Latency has to offer, we strapped in and booted up the Engineerium and Zombie Surivival combo.

Engineerium and Zombie Survival

If it’s your first trip to Zero Latency, it’s probably a good idea to give this combo run a try.

Engineerium

Engineerium drops you and your friends into a fantasy world where you explore and solve various puzzles together. Nothing too tough though. It really does feel like something you can let the kids play or the kind of game that lets you get to grips with being in a virtual world.

I’m still in Sandyford, I’m still in Sandyford

With that said, don’t let those words make you think it’s easy. I found myself hesitating to walk off cliff edges and struggling to stay on curving pathways. The people running the game even caught me mumbling into my headset, saying “I’m still in Sandyford, I’m still in Sandyford”. Having enjoyed many VR experiences which were just ok, the ability of Engineerium and the Zero Latency VR system to make you feel like you’re really in a fantasy world surrounded by flying whales, is incredible.

15 minutes in, the first game was complete. Our world went dark and the games master spoke to us through our headsets. We were asked to stand still and informed there would be a tap on the shoulder where a “runner” would handover our guns.

It’s zombie killin’ time.

Zombie Survival

Zombie Survival is probably why you’re here. This is a classic style wave game. Classic expect for the fact you are standing on the ground and can clearly see the zombies coming straight for you.

You build up barriers by shooting at lights around you, can walk around the space to get the best vantage point for killin’ zombies and even take a lift up a level to get a better angle for some headshots. Wave after wave of zombie rolls towards you as you and your squad takes ’em down, one by one.

My honest to god first reaction was: “the graphics look ok”. That lasted for about five seconds before the total immersion of being suffocated by zombies took over. There’s also a practical aspect to the slightly simpler graphics. This keeps the game running smoothly and reduced lag. This is actually essential to ensure people enjoy the experience as smooth VR experiences mean you avoid motion sickness.

I’ll let you in on one little secret. The game is also scored, so you’re against fighting for your life with your teammates while also trying to top their score. Headshots are the key along with blowing up parts of your world. Just saying.

Because of the scoring, I’m already looking forward to getting back into the game to try again, giving the whole experience a great replayability factor.

Outbreak Origins and Singularity

The Engineerium and Zombie Survival combo are a great intro, but if it’s your second run in the virtual world, you’ll probably want to step things up a notch. That’s where Outbreak Origins and Singularity come in.

These are full on 30-minute sessions where you get immersed even deeper into two worlds, working your way through challenges and shootouts.

I didn’t get a chance to test drive these, but I can assure you I’ll be going back and I’ll let you know. For the time being, there are some other really important questions I need to answer about Zero Latency VR.

Is Zero Latency VR Expensive?

My first reaction to the price was, yes. It’s a bit on the pricey end of the entertainment spectrum. At €39 for a thirty minute session, I totally get how people might think it’s an expensive trip out.

But really, it’s not and here’s why.

I had to draw a natural comparison between this and paintballing. Paintballing lasts for a couple of hours and costs about €30 per person too. When I compared pricing here, I could see you do get 300 paint balls included here, but I remember paintballing before. I was back and forth to the paintball desk more often. I spent a fortune.

Paintball is also weather dependent, virtual reality is always dry – once we choose to keep it that way. I’m not knocking paintballing by the way, but more putting a premium VR experience into a position that makes sense. All that gear ain’t cheap you know.

I can also see quite a few people ending up in Sandyford on work trips where the office is paying, so get on to your sports and social club rep.

There’s one more thing I noticed too. I first thought the half an hour was a bit short. That was before I entered the virtual world. It’s not exactly easy being in there and when you take the headset off after 30 minutes, it’s a small bit of a relief. You could probably do an hour tops but would be wrecked after it.

Zero Latency VR Review: The Verdict

It’s fantastic. Sure, it’s not cheap, but you’re looking at a premium VR experience here. Zero Latency is a global standard in VR gaming and now you have a chance to get a piece of the action in Sandyford. Grab a few mates and get yourself out there and enjoy it.

Zero Latency VR launches to the public on 6 March in Sandyford.

Foldable Phones: Do People Really Want This?

Marty
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Foldable Phones: Do People Really Want This?

Foldable phones. Apparently, they’ll be the next generation of smartphone technology. I’m really apprehensive about all of this, so please follow me on a journey of me trying to work out how I feel about foldable phones and screens.

IFA 2018: My First Look at Foldable Screens

I shot this video at IFA in 2018. It was my first time seeing folding screens. Royole is one of the pioneering companies dealing in this space and I had a good chat with one of the company’s marketing directors (at least I think that’s what he was). He was really positive and I totally bought into what they were doing. Even back in November when Samsung first teased that they were working on a foldable phone, I was still fairly convinced this was all a great idea.

But then I really started thinking about it, logically and practically.

I’d love a foldable phone, but does everyone else feel the same way?

The Samsung Galaxy Fold

Unpacked 2019 heralded the first official launch-ish event type thing of a foldable phone. Huawei would follow suit at Mobile World Congress, but more on that later.

The standout feature, naturally enough, on the Galaxy Fold is the fact you can use this as a phone with a 4.6-inch screen or a tablet with a 7.3-inch screen. Thanks to some pretty cool tech, the device clamshells in half with a bending screen. It’s genuinely awesome from a gadget nerd point of view.

Galaxy Fold Fears

But I have one massive fear which might be a pretty obvious one. I do not trust expensive tech that bends.

Bend lines visible at Samsung Unpacked 2019

That’s an image of the Samsung Galaxy Fold on stage at Unpacked 2019. After a pristine demo in a carefully lit section of the stage, DJ Koh pulled out a Galaxy Fold under much harsher lights which clearly showed lines where the screen folds.

You might say, this is an unfinished prototype, but given that Samsung will be delivering this phone in April, this has to be pretty close to the final product.

Alternate Dimensions

By far, the oddest thing about the Galaxy Fold is the screen sizes. I just don’t understand it. Closed up, the phone is has a 4.6-inch screen. I’m sure some people will like having a small screen, but if you’re looking for a phone as a size-reference you’d need to look at the Sony Xperia XZ1 compact. A more popular reference might be the 4-inch screen of the iPhone 5.

In short, what I’m saying here is that folded up the screen is small. Fortunately, you can open it up to 7.3-inches. Unfortunately, I still think that’s a really odd size for a tablet.

The smallest Apple tablet, the iPad Mini has a 7.9-inch screen and this falls in behind the most popular model, the 9.7-inch. That’s a substantial size difference.

These two size profiles look like complete compromises by Samsung to get a foldable phone-tablet hybrid onto the market.

Double Decker Phones

Speaking of rushing to the market, what about that design.

I’m sorry. I genuinely didn’t want this to be a “go to town on Samsung” session, but honestly. I think it reminds me of a Tommy Tiernan joke where he says people look at Dublin buses and imagine them as being “buses on top of other buses”. The Galaxy Fold is a phone on top of another phone.

After a few minutes trying to find that Tommy Tiernan joke, I opted for another comparison. A comparison that probably makes more sense. It reminds me of the Nokia L’Amour range.

I might sound mad, but it’s got that double thickness feeling about it. Honestly, look…

chunky galaxy fold

A design like that is surely another indicator that Samsung wasn’t too fussed about the look and feel of the Fold. 

Galaxy Fold Price

There’s a lot more specs and features to discuss, but I’m going to keep the bulk of that for another day. Brass tacks time. What’s this going to cost?

Early adopters do pay extra tax for the privilege of playing with new toys at such an early stage. Now, seriously. It’s a big tax.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold will cost in or around €1750 to buy. That means if you were take this phone on an Irish network’s top plan on a 24-month contract, you’d still likely be paying the guys of a grand. Yup. Feel free to take a break before we get going again.

Huawei Mate X Foldable Phone

It would appear that Huawei rather dislikes Samsung. They trolled the living daylights out of Samsung’s Unpacked event, dropping teasers for what the new P30 series and taking a page out of Samsung’s own book. Samsung used to troll Apple hard for lagging behind, but Huawei is now having the Honors. Yup, that’s a phone-nerd joke right there. Enjoy it.

So it was little surprise to see Huawei take to the MWC stage and announce their own take on foldable phones. While many hoped to get a sneak peak at the P30 series, Huawei will instead keep all of that for a stand-alone event in Paris on 26 March.


However, those who went along to the keynote weren’t disappointed with a new laptop and foldable phone announced. Let’s focus on the foldable phone, the Huawei Mate X.

Picking on Samsung’s Shortcomings

I’m not entirely sure who puts together Huawei’s presentations, but boy do they move fast. Just a few days after Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold, Huawei had carefully curated a presentation which showed off where their Mate X was already vying for the lead in the foldable phone market.

I’ll fully admit this is probably personal preference, but first and foremost, when closed, the Huawei Mate X is just a nice phone. Actually, it’s a very nice phone and at 6.4-inches, it’s a grand size. Opened up, the Mate X measures in with an 8-inch display. A little on the small side again but a step in the right direction.

A solid start.

Next up, the thickness. Another point to Huawei.

Mate X versus “other foldable phone” aka Galaxy Fold

The Mate X is a full 6mm thinner when closed than the “other foldable phone” on the market. While throwing shade is Huawei’s forte, at least they are trying to avoid being sued as the naming conventions of their presentation would suggest.

However, in a post presentation press conference, Richard Yu wasn’t holding back…

I’m still trying to get my head around the design of these phones, but beyond the different approaches to hinges, there’s a massive difference in the approach to foldable phones by both Samsung and Huawei. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold opens out into a tablet, while the Huawei Mate X opens into a phone. Imagine opening a book but not stopping until the covers touched. That’s the Huawei approach.

A Problem Shared

It’s not all fantastic news though. While the Mate X looks to improve on some of the Galaxy Fold’s shortcomings, it did display one similar potential issue. Display being the big word here.

You can still see there’s some waviness in that display and I just don’t know if this is something we should all be worried about. Now, Huawei is much further away from launch with the Mate X expected mid-2019 as opposed to the Galaxy Fold’s April launch date.

Huawei Mate X Price

I did try to seguay from a “problem shared” into the price. That was on purpose and if you are still reeling from the Galaxy Fold price, maybe go get a glass of water before reading on.

If you want to buy the Huawei foldable phone, it’ll set you back €2300. To follow the same logic as earlier, on an Irish mobile network, paying €60 per month for 24 months, you’ll still pay well over a grand for the Mate X. But I do have an interesting take on this price.

Does Anyone Actually Want Foldable Phones?

I think there’s genuinely a market out there for foldable phones, but it’s really minuscule. Like, it’s teeny. I can’t really get across how small it’s likely to be. Early adopters and some tech industry leaders will want to be out in front with this stuff. Average consumers on the street will just be glad to know that tech innovation might drive down the price of traditional style smartphones. Maybe.

Do I want a folding phone? Yes. Now that I’ve seen the Huawei Mate X I’ve been a little won over. The prices have got to come down though. To be frank, right now prices are silly. I could just buy a phone and a tablet. I don’t need them to be rolled into one.

However, if someone is thinking about shelling out this kind of money for a foldable phone, the price is unlikely to be an issue. So Huawei’s Mate X being quite a bit more expensive won’t really be a factor, considering how much better they’ve designed the foldable phone itself

Will the general public want a folding phone? No, at least not until the price is more realistic. Right now, most people just aren’t interested in foldable phones.


And this makes sense. Tablet traffic makes up 10% of internet traffic, so generally speaking, people are getting along just fine without tablets.

What have I learned through writing this article?

My goal was to talk through some facts and come to a conclusion and I think I have. The Samsung Galaxy Fold is an expensive, rushed attempt to get a folding phone to the marketplace. The Huawei Mate X is a much better attempt which I believe cut no corners on quality, with Huawei deciding early on to ignore how much it would end up costing.

I’ve also learned just how cut-throat this space is going to be.

Already, Samsung launched a foldable phone and a competitor has launched another and done better. Lads, it’s been a week with this market open and there’s already a war.

Apple thought the iPhone X would be a revolution in smartphone design. Such strong words for what was an ok phone. I’m fairly confident foldable phones are going to go along the same lines. I don’t think they’ll be a 3DTV level of tech fail, but I also don’t think you’ll find one in your pocket any time soon.

I will add, this article could age as well as a positive Theresa May headline claiming she might get a deal from the EU.

Meet the Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e

Marty
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Meet the Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e

It’s the first major phone launch of the year and it doesn’t get much bigger than Samsung celebrating ten years of their Galaxy range. Phones sure have changed quite a bit since Samsung started making smartphones, but this isn’t going to be a trip down memory lane. Instead, I’m going to take you through the key features of the new Samsung Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e.

Jump straight to the bottom of this article if you’re just after pre-order pricing in Ireland.

Introducing Four New Galaxy Smartphones

Every year at Samsung Unpacked we’re introduced to the latest range of Galaxy smartphones. Expectations were high this year for two reasons. It’s the ten year anniversary of the Galaxy range but also with another season of leaks-a-plenty, it was interesting to see if Samsung would deliver everything spotted in the run up to Unpacked 2019.

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Samsung kicked off its 2019 Unpacked event by introducing us to the Galaxy Fold. A behemoth phone in both size, quality and, of course, price.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold, as the name suggests, is a folding smartphone-tablet hybrid. My personal first reaction to the Galaxy Fold is that it looks like a phone and a tablet that’s too small for me while also being quite chunky.

It’s an impressive piece of tech but it’s also far from being something for the everyday smartphone user, particularly when it’ll cost the guts of two grand. I’ll take a look at the Galaxy Fold another day.

For now, here’s the real meat of the meal – the Galaxy S10 range.

Samsung Galaxy S10+ and S10

As is always the case, the bulk of Unpacked focused on the twin flagships to enter their range this year. In terms of naming conventions, there are no big surprises as they went for Samsung Galaxy S10 and Samsung Galaxy S10+. There’s also the Samsung Galaxy S10e, but more on that later.

Samsung Sticking To Their Guns

Samsung can be incredibly proud of the fact they’ve been sticking to their guns on a few key features where other mobile manufacturers have departed from the norm, or perhaps have been creating a new norm. For example, despite Samsung offering free wireless Galaxy Buds for shoppers pre-ordering the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+, the 3.5mm headphone jack remains.

Image courtesy of BGR.com

The South Korean mobile maker also continues to avoid the notch display design which, like removing the headphone jack, has become the norm for companies like Google, Huawei and Apple. Instead, Samsung has put their front-facing camera behind the screen, visible through a pin-hole cutout.

The cut-out is bigger on the Galaxy S10+ than on the Galaxy S10 and S10e because it has two front-facing cameras. Samsung has also cleverly created stock wallpapers which take attention away from pinhole cutouts by using darker space in the corner.

Image courtesy fo 9to5 Google

Differences Between Galaxy s10+ and Galaxy S10

The big question weighing on people’s minds mulling over which of these two phones to buy is, what’s the difference between them? To be honest, there really isn’t that much and it comes down to:

  • Front facing camera
  • Screen size
  • Battery
  • Weight

As I mentioned, the S10+ has two front facing cameras, versus the single front facing shooter of the S10. This means the S10+ shoots those blurry bokeh style shots using two cameras, while the S10 uses software to make that magic Instagram moment.

Considering there’s a plus in the name, the S10+ has to be bigger in some departments and that’s where the rest of the differences come in. The S10+ has a 6.4-inch screen, 4100 mAh battery and weighs in at 175g. This stacks up against a 6.1-inch screen, 3400 mAh battery and 157g weight of the Galaxy S10.

There are a few other subtle differences, like the Galaxy S10+ also coming in a beast mode style 1TB ceramic model with a ridiculous 12GB of RAM, but I really don’t expect many of those, if any, to appear in Ireland.

That’s pretty much it for the differences, so let me run through the cool features appearing on both of these twin flagships

Similarities Between Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+

Don’t let that plus in the name deceive you. The bulk of the specs on these twin flagships match up.

  • Triple rear cameras
  • Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint scanner
  • Reverse wireless charging
  • Remappable Bixby button (about time)

Kicking off with the cameras, on both phones you get a triple camera array. The triple lens setup, I can only imagine right now, will be great. I’ve gotten used to this on my Mate 20 Pro and I love it.

Image courtesy of Droid Life

Included is a wide-angle 12-megapixel (77-degree), telephoto 12-megapixel (45-degree), and ultra-wide 16-megapixel (123-degree). Unsurprisingly, this is very close to the Mate 20 Pro setup and I can’t wait to get hands-on and put these two phones head-to-head before throwing the Huawei P30 into the mix too.

Samsung has also introduced in-screen fingerprint technology into their range. I was surprised to see Apple stay away from this last year, but Huawei, Oppo and OnePlus all went this way. Samsung has done it slightly differently by developing ultrasonic technology which removed the dependancy on light behind the screen scanning your fingerprint. This should be more accurate and less annoying in dark conditions.

Another feature we saw on the Mate 20 Pro last year features here too in reverse wireless charging. Being honest, I think Samsung might have framed this technology better than Huawei did. I’m not saying they’ve done it better, but wireless power-sharing between phones is extremely slow. Samsung has shown this as the ideal tech to charge your wireless earbuds or your Samsung watch, rather than focusing on charging other phones.

Finally, I’m glad I can say that that stupid physical button that, in the past, Samsung insisted on having for you to access their smart assistant Bixby, can now be remapped to a feature you prefer. Thank you Samsung.

Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy S10 or the S10+?

Right now, the answer to this question has to be, please wait for a few more weeks. Huawei is about to announce the P30 range which will likely include three phones like last year. That’s a P30 Pro, P30 and P30 Lite. So far, Huawei has just teased that we’ll see a 10x zoom but I also expect the Chinese manufacturer will bring features from the Mate 20 Pro into the P30 Pro. That means specs will largely either align with the Galaxy S10+ or surpass it.

However, if you are a Samsung fan, the choice will come down to your phone size preference and how obsessed you are with selfies. Those are the two key decision-making specs.

The Samsung Galaxy S10e

Samsung also announced a third phone: The Samsung Galaxy S10e. What does the “e” stand for? Some say “entry level”, others say “economy”. Regardless, it’s definitely a much lighter model. You give up triple rear cameras for dual primary cameras. The display is simplified with a larger bezel around it and the fingerprint sensor moves to the side of the phone and out of the screen.

The Galaxy S10e – Image courtesy of MacWorld

To be honest, that might very well be the best thing about the Samsung Galaxy S10e. You might remember me reviewing the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium and noting that the side is the most natural location for a fingerprint scanner.

The Galaxy s10e gives up a fair bit of spec, but as you’ll see below, there’s also a fair change in the price. For me, I’d stick to the two flagships but the S10e looks like it’ll be a solid phone for the price. If I get hands on with it, I’ll do a more detailed review.

Pre-order Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+

The new Samsung Galaxy range is available to preorder from these outlets

  • Samsung Ireland
  • Harvey Norman
  • Carphone Warehouse
  • Three
  • Vodafone
  • Eir

If you pre-order before the launch you’ll also get a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds worth €159. You redeem these directly from Samsung through their app, so just don’t expect to get them delivered with your new phone.

Pre-order the Galaxy S10 and S10+ from Samsung

You can pre-order the new Samsung Galaxy range, SIM-free, directly from Samsung Ireland. Here’s how much it’ll set you back:

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus 128GB – €1019
  • Samsung Galaxy S10 128GB – €919
  • Samsung Galaxy S10e 128GB – €769

Pre-order the Galaxy S10 and S10+ from Harvey Norman

The new Samsung Galaxy range is also available SIM-free, from Harvey Norman. Pricing matches the direct pricing from Samsung:

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus 128GB – €1019
  • Samsung Galaxy S10 128GB – €919
  • Samsung Galaxy S10e 128GB – €769

Pre-order the Galaxy S10 and S10+ from Carphone Warehouse

Network comparison store, Carphone Warehouse offer the Galaxy S10 range on Three, Vodafone and eir while also offering the range SIM-free.

You pay a €50 deposit online and then pay the remainder depending on standard network pricing. Speaking of which here’s the network pricing.

The price shown is the upfront cost along with the total 24-month total cost. This is calculated by taking your monthly plan cost, multiplying by contract length and adding the amount you pay on day one. By looking at this number, you can compare the total price you pay to get the new Samsung range and it’s usually more than SIM-free.

Pre-order the Galaxy S10 and S10+ from Three

If you want to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S10 from Three, here’s their pricing on their €60 per month plan. This plan includes unlimited calls and texts with All You Can Eat Data.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus 128GB – €379
    • 24-month cost: €1819
  • Samsung Galaxy S10 128GB – €279
    • 24-month cost: €1719
  • Samsung Galaxy S10e 128GB – €99
    • 24-month cost: €1539

Pre-order the Galaxy S10 and S10+ from Vodafone

You can also pre-order from Vodafone. Pricing below is if you pick up the Galaxy S10 range on Vodafone’s RED Connect plan which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 15GB of data and access to either Spotify or Sky Sports Mobile.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus 128GB – €399
    • 24-month cost: €1839
  • Samsung Galaxy S10 128GB – €299
    • 24-month cost: €1739
  • Samsung Galaxy S10e 128GB – €149
    • 24-month cost: €1589

Pre-order the Galaxy S10 and S10+ from Vodafone

The Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ are available from eir too. Pricing below is for the Galaxy range on eir’s €55 per month plan which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 40GB of data and access to eir Sports.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus 128GB – €399
    • 24-month cost: €1719
  • Samsung Galaxy S10 128GB – €299
    • 24-month cost: €1619
  • Samsung Galaxy S10e 128GB – €149
    • 24-month cost: €1469

Samsung Galaxy S10 Release Date

The Samsung Galaxy S10 range launches on March 8th. You can expect most pre-orders to land on this date too. The range will be available from the retailers mentioned above for the same price, depending on stock of course.

Rewatch the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event

Scriba Stylus Review: More Than Just a Pencil

Jon
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0
Scriba Stylus Review: More Than Just a Pencil

Steve Jobs once said that nobody wants a stylus. The comments he made in 2007 might have been spot on at the time but all these years later the stylus hasn’t died. In fact, even Apple released the Apple Pencil back in 2015. While Jobs was speaking about the stylus’ of the time which were basically plastic sticks, the new generation like the Pencil or the Samsung S Pen includes tech to make them much much more. What if we told you there’s an option out there which is cheaper, better and Irish? That’s where Scriba comes in. Designed by Dublin Design Studio, I’ve been getting hands-on with the Scriba Stylus over the last few months to see how this unique looking stylus stacks up.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What is the Scriba Stylus?


Scriba is a new age Bluetooth stylus, designed, developed and manufactured in Ireland. It has been created by David Craig, a Dublin based architect who during the recession began looking for a new challenge. He noticed that the modern stylus was basically just a digital pen so he set out to build something that was designed around the user.

Enter Scriba, the self-proclaimed world’s most innovative stylus. The Bluetooth enabled product has won a tonne of design and innovation awards already due to its features that include a unique ergonomic design, “squeeze motion” technology instead of buttons, and haptic feedback. The Scriba can be paired with any tablet or smartphone to be used as a standard stylus but when used on iOS products you can see it’s true potential. With it’s own range of compatible apps users can do so much more than just doodle, but we will talk a bit more about that later.

What you get

Scriba keeps it nice and simple. In the box you get your ergonomic stylus, the Micro-USB charging cable and 3 additional replacement tips. The replacement tips is a very nice little touch, would Apple do it? I think not. For me this is the advantage of supporting the ever-growing Irish tech start-ups, they actually give more of a toss about their customers. While replacement tips might seem like a small thing it’s that thoughtful touch that the bigger players will never do.

Specs

I’ll keep mentioning the price but at a price point under €100 the Scriba Stylus is much cheaper than the competition, namely the Apple Pencil. But that doesn’t mean a weak spec sheet. Weighing in at 16 grams it’s actually lighter than the competition which might seem strange given the design. It’s down to the ergonomic design, while Scriba might be a bigger product it’s lighter due to the material selection and overall design. You also get over 200 hours per charge again an incredible stat when you think the average for other similar products is roughly 12 hours. We’ve mentioned that Scriba is charged via Micro-USB, simple and effective, plus chances are you won’t need another charger when travelling.

There is also the Dynamic “squeeze motion” technology for extended app interactions and the haptic (vibration) app support for tactile feedback but more on that later. Finally, Scriba also offers it’s own supported apps: Brushes for Scriba for drawing, Scriba Slides which brings more intrigue to standard powerpoint presentations as the app makes work as a digital pen and remote for the presentation. They also have an app called Scriba Photo and this makes the stylus a remote for your device’s camera.

Design & Features

Did you know that these guys made 136 prototypes before they settled on their award winning design? You know when a team takes this kind of care and patience they are going to create something impressive. We wan’t to focus on the product but if you want to read their full story check out their website.

Ok so the Scriba Stylus is a ergonomically designed open framed tool that is made to share around the movement of your hand. While the stylus itself is straight the “handle” wraps in such a way that it’s contoured to create a natural gripping point for both your thumb and pointing finger. Both touch-points are enhances with a rubberized surface to further improve grip and comfort.

Interestingly, unlike most other styli you won’t find a single button on the Scriba. The body is flexible which enables the “squeeze motion” pressure-responsive technology through simply pinching or squeezing your thumb and forefinger. Rather than using buttons, this intuitive system helps the user control stroke widths and a variety of other controls across their presentation and drawing apps. The Scriba stylus is also the first stylus to use haptic feedback which is essentially using vibrations to confirm squeeze based actions, connectivity and alerts for compatible apps. It might feel odd at first but to be fair you learn the controls so quickly that these new features just feel right.

Full disclosure, I spent way longer than I should have when trying to find the charging station (guess that’s what you get for thinking you don’t need the instructions). Anyway making me look stupid, all you do it grab a coin and unscrew the base of the pen to pop in the charger. Really it’s that simple but thankfully for me with a battery life over 200 hours and 6 months of standby you wont need to charge the Scriba all that often. Better again a full charge takes only two hours.

At the other end, the stylus uses the standard silicone tips that you will see on any normal stylus. This is held on by a screw on cap to keep it tightly in place in use but allows for a quick change when needed. Oh and it weighs just 16 grams, incredible considering the Apple Pencil is 20 grams and that’s just a stick.

Compatibility & Apps

The Scriba stylus will work with any touch screen but it’s on iOS where they have the most support. It works best using their own software which has been optimised to take advantage of the squeeze controls.

Firstly get onto their app called Brushes for Scriba, this will give you the best platform to get started and gain a decent understanding of the inner workings of the stylus. Beyond that, there is a list of apps designed specifically for the product which you can check out here.

Brushes for Scriba is their own custom variation of the popular Brushes app, optimized for their stylus. You are able to control brush stroke width and a bunch of other bits and pieces by simply squeezing the device. Within the app, you can control up to 10 layers while you can switch between the brush and eraser by double-clicking Scriba or triple-clicking to hide the interface and focusing on your work. Other apps include Scriba Photo and Slides. Scriba Photo lets you use the stylus to control your device’s camera while Slides is a productivity app that makes the device do double duty as a digital pen and a presentation remote. All good stuff, just remember that the advanced features of the Scriba will only work on Scriba enabled apps.

Connecting the Stylus couldn’t be any easier, squeeze the pen to search visible Bluetooth devices and pair, job done. In terms of connecting the stylus with a compatible app, use the setting tool to highlight the ‘connect to Scriba’ icon, click that and now you can control the app through the pen. That connect icon doubles up as a battery indicator which is quite nice.

Final note regarding the compatible apps – Scriba are doing a lot of work in the background, Android support has grown quite a bit since my last conversation with David. Handwrite Pro has just launched support in addition to Infinite Painter in testing mode. So keep an eye on their website for future updates.

How does it Perform?

To be fair it performs quite well. I’ve been very impressed with Scriba considering I’ve been using it for about a month now and it’s potential is obvious. The stylus fits naturally in your hand so you can maintain constant control when writing and it requires less pressure than your typical pencil looking stylus. This means you can use the product for longer before feeling any strain making it ideal for designers and others who would use a stylus for long hours.

If you are looking at a straight comparison with the Apple Pencil, the Scriba hasn’t a hope given the precision and control the Pencil can give. However, the Scriba can also not be compared to what a Pencil can do, it’s just that different.

Drawing

I have been doodling away using Brushes4Scriba and to be fair their own platform is designed to show the true potential of the squeeze technology. Anyone who has ever worked with an airbrush will feel right at home using Scriba. You are able to set limits for maximum and minimum brush widths alongside levels of transparency to add your personal style to your work. It’s worth saying the control and precision of the stylus is brilliant but the silicone tips are a bit stubby for fine detail, a common issue for most stlyi.

In terms of overall performance, the haptic feedback offers great control that I was very happy with however it’s only available on supported apps as we have mentioned already. It’s not a big deal for me because this is only the start of their journey with great potential for future growth. We are already seeing more developers including Scriba compatibility so the future is bright.

Notes an other bits

Scriba ain’t just for doodling! I’ve been diddling about with a few of their apps and when it comes to regular handwriting the Scriba Stylus is far more comfortable to use versus the Apple Pencil.

Using an app like ZoomNotes (a supported application) you can take your notes through general writing, this is what I used and personally speaking I found Scriba more than capable of doing any general writing function.

Beyond general writing or drawing, Scriba can also be used as a presentation tool in their platform ScribaSlides. Using the Bluetooth connection you can flick between your slides with ease. You can also make more engaging presentations by using the stylus to highlight areas, focus on particular points or draw on your presentation in real time to get across your point. Thank god because something that’s even slightly more engaging has to be better than death by PowerPoint.

Finally, Scriba can also be used as we mentioned as a photo-shooting tool. It’s really cool and different, you basically use the stylus as a Bluetooth-enabled shutter release for your camera app. Really that’s it.

Being Picky

I’m a picky bollox so of course, there had to be something I’m not 100% sold on. That’s the silicone tips. They are a bit on the stubby side and that makes Sciba a tad dodgy when you’re trying to get those finer details The Apple Pencil pips the Scriba Stylus in this area due to it’s finer tip and active sensor but in comparison to most conventional styli, Scriba is streets ahead. Told you I was just being picky, but if they could tweak the tip or offer a finer solution then it’s game on.

Vs The Apple Pencil

I don’t want to look like I’m bashing the Apple Pencil but let’s be realistic here, the Scriba Stylus is going head to head with one of the biggest forces in the tech. From what I’ve seen Scriba is more than just a competitor to the Apple Pencil.

Due to the sleek ergonomic design you can use the Scriba for hours without any strain whatsoever. Take that against the standard pen style of pretty much all the competition and it’s easy to see why Scriba is more comfortable. This style also means that for younger users it will aid the development of fine motor skills which are being lost somewhat as mobile takes precendance over pen and paper for today’s youth.

Again unlike the Apple Pencil, the Scriba Stylus is responsive to the user’s touch with a direct correlation between user action and NUI reaction and gestures avoid the need for the annoying buttons. For me, the biggest difference between the two besides price is the insane battery life in the Scriba that is almost 20 times that of the Apple Pencil. Couple this with the fact that Scriba actually works with more iOS devices than the Pencil (anything in the last 5 years vs 2018 or newer) and the fact that this is the first stylus to feature haptics and you can probably understand why I wanted to address the elephant in the room. Including post and packing the Scriba Stylus is almost €30 cheaper just goes to show branding isn’t everything.

Who should use it?

Scriba was initially designed to offer creatives an improved user experience and a greater level of control. Modern designers, architects and such professions are now shifting their work flow between the physical and digital environments: whether sketching, note taking and presenting, they demand tools that deliver a seamless transition between the two.

Having said that it’s not just for the big kids, Scriba has been unexpectedly been picked up by children as a tool to improve motor skills and writing technique. This comes at a time when paediatric doctors are concerned over children’s use of technology impacting their ability to hold pens and pencils.

Future Avenues

We mentioned that Scriba has somewhat stumbled upon a secondary market surrounding younger children. Well after speaking with David I discovered that they are now working with occupational therapists in Trinity to conduct a qualitative assessments. They are looking to understand and discover how the squeeze-action compliments the development of the child’s mechanical skills of writing at both the “Refinement” and “Integration and Implementation” stages with a controlled ‘scaling’ action between their thumb and forefingers.

Sounds fancy, but basically they want to see if the Scriba Stylus offers something valuable to the next generation. He also mentioned at the point of writing that the studies are so far getting some very positive feedback. We will be keeping a close eye on this and I’m sure David will keep us posted and once we know more, so will you.

Goosed Verdict

I’m a fan of the Scriba Stylus and as someone with a background in design I can say this honestly. For the creatives out there this is the well worth the look. From the ridiculous battery life to the control and ergonomics, Scriba has thought of pretty much everything. The squeeze technology and haptic feedback are innovative tools where a stylus is concerned and with all the work being done in the background I am excited to see what the future holds.

While it will be cool to see their own tools and compatibility improvements, it’s the work with children that I can’t wait to come to fruition. In a world where tablets are soon to take over from pen and paper in schools, Scriba is ready to pick up the slack to help develop motor and writing skills for the new tech-savvy generation.

In comparison with the Apple Pencil, the Scriba Stylus can be used across operating system platforms and devices, unlike the Pencil that is restricted to only the iPad Pro/2018 models. So for me if you’re in the market for a sylus that offers comfort and precision, is two thirds of the price of the Apple Pencil and was designed, developed and manufactured in Ireland, there’s only one winner.

Pros & Cons Summary

ProsCons
Beautiful Ergonomic Design3rd Party app compatibility to
be improved
Free-flowing controlFurther support on no nApple
products (in development)
LightweightSilicone tip has minor issues
with fine detail
(common for most styli)
Huge battery lifeBig competition
Innovative dynamic squeeze technology
Massive future growth areas
Cheap vs competition and it’s Irish made

Tech for Tech-Sake: Tech Notions or the Cusp of A Better World?

Marty
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0
Tech for Tech-Sake: Tech Notions or the Cusp of A Better World?

I’m going to let you in on a little writing secret of mine. When I write an article, I focus on three “whats”. First of all, is just “what”. What happened that triggered me to write. Is it a review or maybe a newsworthy event? Next up, “so what?”. Ok, so I’ve decided I’m going to write about something, the next thing is why should you, the reader, care about it. Finally comes “now what”. This is where I ask you to take an action. It might be downloading a free app, buying a new gadget or making a recommendation around how you behave online – like using a password manager or something similar.

I’ve found that this helps me focus on the content that will best benefit you. At the end of the day, the whole idea about Goosed.ie is to bring you tech insights that empower you to live a better life with tech. But isn’t tech sometimes a little useless and over the top? Here are two tech stories from the past week that may, on the surface appear to be tech for tech-sake, but really there’s some underlying coolness there to be seen too.

Nike’s Auto-lacing Shoes

My favourite movie is Back to the Future – well all three of them to be honest. Seriously, here’s me at a street festival in Germany.

My hover-board at German Carnival Festival

I adore back to the future to the point where I’m now known as Marty! That moment where Marty McFly’s shoes laced themselves up, could have been the moment I fell in love with tech. Eager to cash in on a 1980s movie moment, Nike actually founded a development team which created the HyperAdapt. It actually happened. You could buy (a rather expensive pair of kicks) which, at the touch of a button, could lace themselves up.

Useless? On the surface, yes they are a little. I was watching Unbox Therapy’s first look at the latest pair with my better half recently and she said this was the line. Auto-lacing shoes are more than a little silly. The trigger point for her was the wireless charging platform. Lewis had to call out that when the battery dies, the shoes stay tied and reserve enough power for you to take them off. I accept, this are some silly problems to have with your shoes. Then I got thinking about the real world applications of this.

Formula 1 returns soon, and I’d just witness Williams release their new car for the year. One of their drivers, Robert Kubica, was in a bad crash a few years ago which left one of his arms badly damaged. He’s capable of driving a F1 car but still, it got me thinking that something like tying shoelaces could be a genuine issue for him.

My mental floodgates opened.

So many people’s lives could be made easier by a pair of shoes which can be tightened through an app instead of using traditional knot tying. Now I understand that Nike probably doesn’t have this in mind when selling a pair of basketball shoes for a couple of hundred dollars. However, innovation for one reason often benefits consumers in another. To return to F1, the reason we have hybrid cars on our roads is largely down to development for the racetrack.

Sure, this tech might seem silly on the surface and for many reasons it is, but who knows what brilliant technological advances will come down the line because of this.

Huawei Finishing Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony

The link between Nike and Back to the Future is rather slight. I think that’s what makes people rush to the “cashing in on Hollywood” conclusion. I’d have had a similar feeling about Huawei using a Mate 20 Pro to create music. But then I set aside the “sure that’s ridiculous” mindset and really thought about what had happened here.

So…What Happened?

Symphony No. 8 by Franz Schubert is one of the best-known pieces of classical music, even though it was never completed. Whether this was down to the composers ill-health or distraction with another piece of work, Huawei wanted to put this piece of music to bed. They took my current daily rider, the Mate 20 Pro and used the on-board Huawei Neural Processing Unit to complete Schubert’s work.

That’s how powerful smartphones have become. Huawei specially designed an app which could analyse a piece of classical music for traits of the long-dead composer and then make suggestions and recommendations of how the piece should continue beyond its premature conclusion.

So again, isn’t this a little useless? Like, the piece isn’t what Schubert intended or planned so what’s the point?

Well, watching the clip and seeing how it moved Emmy Award-winning composer Lucas Cantor, it’s impossible to ignore how marrying together technology and culture together is an important part of human progression. Technology has a reputation for being cold and clinical, but here, we have an award-winning composer highlighting the benefits of AI as a partner in collaboration. A partner that never gets tired and never runs out of ideas.

There’s something particularly special about seeing the finished piece transition from Schubert’ original into a machines interpretation, an interpretation curated by a human composer.

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

Like the example I gave earlier, Huawei’s experiments with artificial intelligence are far from tech for tech-sake. Last year the Chinese manufacturer released StorySign, an app which uses artificial intelligence to translate written word into sign language, making reading easier for deaf children.

The technology behind the completion of Schubert’s No. 8 Symphony could help deaf people enjoy music or complete other artistic works someday. Marrying culture and technology while also improving lives.

I’m sure many will read this and think I’m just being my usual positive self about technology, but it’s too easy to see a lot of what’s going on out there as tech for tech-sake. I will conceed defeat on this one thing though. No body needs a connected hairbrush.

Notions.



The Grand Tour Game: Looking Under the hood

Jon
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The Grand Tour Game: Looking Under the hood

Car racing games, you either love them or hate them. So for those who enjoy a good old fashioned racing game, the famous tv series the Grand Tour has come to the PlayStation. It’s quite an interesting concept that was released in conjunction with the third series of the car enthusiast tv show. The game released a couple of weeks ago on the PlayStation store for €11.99 so the question needs to be asked… is it any good?

Overview

The Grand Tour Game is aimed towards putting fans behind the wheel of the cars from the latest series by bringing them to the shows iconic locations including their home test track, the Eboladrome. Clarkson, Hammond and May have been involved in the making of the game, lending their voices to add to the “banter” and authenticity.

Moving seamlessly from clips of the show to gameplay, Amazon’s aim is to create a game that will infuse the series elements with the game to make a satisfying experience for the shows fans.

“It’s a video game featuring me, the crashy one, and the slow one. That’s all you need to know,” said Jeremy Clarkson.

In The Grand Tour Game, players aren’t just stuck with an episode by episode story-line but they can race and challenge each other face-to-face. Using the four player split-screen (it’s been a long time since I’ve said that) you and 3 of your mates can sit on the couch racing the cars and sling both physical and virtual insults at each other as you race to the finish. In a kind of watered down Mario Kart way, players gain power-ups like High Tea, which spills tire-shredding cups and saucers, and More Horsepowers, which lets you blow past the competition to help make the action unpredictable.

“We’re committed to authentically capturing the spirit of the show: cars, banter with friends, and (mostly) friendly competition.”
Craig Sullivan, Creative Director at Amazon Game Studios.

Interestingly no other video game has ever tried to keep pace with a tv series before, especially releasing installations alongside episodes which means what’s to come is relatively unknown until we see Series 3 of The Grand Tour. This weekly dropped content will take the form of challenges based upon the series, meaning that if Clarkson and his pals drive a supercar, you’ll drive a supercar. If they instead, say, drag race forklift trucks… it’s time to start working on your forklift license.

The Good Stuff

Now we know what the game is all about, let’s get into the review. To be honest I don’t really have a lot of positive things to say about The Grand Tour Game. Unless of course you are already a fan of the show. I’ll get onto the bad stuff in a moment but first let’s look at positives.

Firstly, the details gone into each car is properly slick. Engine noises for each car are different, the spoiler on the McLaren actually moves in tandem with your acceleration/braking and in general, the cars just look really good. This car detail goes a long way towards streamlining the game. Especially considering the transition between tv series footage and in-game cutscenes is meant to be seamless. That’s really it when it comes to the graphics, other than that there isn’t a lot to write home about. As the game is predominantly track based there is very little detail gone into the scenery which means it just looks a bit dated. Sad that, when the cars are done with real care.

The only other thing I can find to say positively about The Grand Tour game is the novelty factor and the popularity of the tv series means that fans of the show will get their kicks. One moment you’re watching the hosts attempt some questionable automotive antics – the next you’re at the wheel yourself – same car, same location, same chance to make a massive mess of it (which you probably will). The episodic nature of the story mode will get fans excited but once the novelty factor wears off that’s it, bubble burst.

The Bad Stuff

It’s safe to say I’m not a fan of The Grand Tour Game, but my experience with that game led me to have a good idea of what the game could have or should have been.

On a purely technical level cars handle weirdly, the game looks aged (beyond the actual cars), and the physics are bizarre. Which is annoying considering the developers’ pedigree. The staff included developers from the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises yet this game somehow feels lacking.

From a visual standpoint overall the game doesn’t even compare to racing game benchmarks and in most cases, the commentary by Hammond and co kills the user experience rather than adding to it. Seriously I ended up playing in mute for a while so I could focus on getting to grip with handling rather than listening to their nonsense. If you’re a big fan of the series this probably won’t bother you too much but for me the forced banter that seeps into every crevice of the far screams “We’re funny lads laugh with us”. It’s also not limited to just the story mode. In split-screen there is a power-up called Texting, where you send “hilarious” texts to your friends to force them into crashing. Granted these things are funny to fans of the show but if you’re looking for a car based game, there’s better around.

While I said that the cars looked great and they all sounded different you would have thought each vehicle would handle differently. Well, you would have been wrong. There is no difference between driving the Mustang vs the Rimac electric vehicle. It’s going to be interesting to see as the series develops if these problems are fixed by the time bikes and other vehicles are included.

Single Player

As we said there are a couple of different gaming modes. In terms of single player there are two elements, the story and single racer. Using the Grand Tour track you can complete straight up driving challenges like time trails where you earn a gold, silver or bronze medals based on your lap time.

I found the single player experience missed that wow factor. I played the first three segments of the story based on old episodes of the Grand Tour and it’s just kind of meh. There’s a challenge called “Hammond’s Clean Pants” which is based on one the episode’s other races, driving around a track in a McLaren P1 – a car so fast Hammond might you guessed it ‘poo himself’. The challenge is pretty simple, don’t make Hammond sh*t himself. Your goal is to perform a clean lap but any time you crash the man himself would shout ” oh, poo!” and you get awarded a poo emoji. Yup, that’s the challenge and it tells you all you need to know about the quality of the story mode and scrptiing.

Split Screen

The main saving grace for The Grand Tour game in my opinion was the four-player split-screen mode. Gone are the days where interactive gaming with your friends in the same room was commonplace. Nowadays we’re more likely to stick on the headsets and play together but alone. So during Dry January the idea of having “the lads” up for a car racing evening was a bit of blast from the past.

In reality, it’s a pretty standard four-way race, across a few different tracks and the person with the most points at the end of the races wins. This feature is meant to show the camaraderie of the show but it ultimately fails as the banter in the room with your friends far outweighs the canned laughter The Grand Tour game actually brings to the table. Also in a move like a watered down Mario Kart players can use a bunch of power-ups such as a speed boost and texts, which flash up on the screens of your opponents, obscuring the view. It all feels a bit cheap but fun, the exact opposite of the show. While it’s fun and we can all have a bit of laugh in the multiplayer mode the races eventually end up as a farce as the poor control system takes over. Cars spinning out, players bouncing off each other like bumper cars through each turn and just annoying commentary takes the shine away from what could have been a really fun feature.

The Goosed Verdict

I want the game to succeed, it’s a great concept and the Grand Tour is probably the biggest car enthusiast show on the planet. And here comes the but…. the Grand Tour Game just feels like a bit of a cash in on the iconic trio’s reputation.

The detail in the cars is quite nice and the idea of split-screen gaming with your friends is becoming a thing of the past, so it was really cool to be able to do that again. However, the control system feels a bit clunky, the “banter” is clearly forced and the story mode is kind of boring. Oh and finally in today’s day and age not having an online option is shooting yourself in the foot.

We will wait to see if Amazon Games come good on their promise of recreating the shows each week. Having said that I think asking punters to buy into the game to drive watered down version of each weeks episode is a bit of a tough ask. Put it like this, I won’t be patiently waiting for the latest episode/DLC, the game simply isn’t that good. Guess that’s why the game is under €20.

Maybe it’s me, maybe I’m asking too much but as with the PlayStation Classic, this just feels like a rushed attempt to hit the market and make some profit around the novelty/hype factor of the shows return to the air.

An Uber Simple Solution to Rural Drink Driving Laws

Marty
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An Uber Simple Solution to Rural Drink Driving Laws

I find the national discussion on rural drink-driving laws to be a bit of an embarrassment for quite a few reasons. I’m from the countryside myself and while I live in Dublin now, I appreciate that there’s little to do in many parishes that doesn’t involve popping down to the local.

Going to the local and not having a pint? Unheard of.

Getting a taxi from your local? Often a nightmare.

Finding something else to do without the local? Nah.

So, why don’t we just relax this whole Uber-style service ban and have locals do it? Hear me out…

The Perceived Problem

The perceived problem down the country is there’s very little to do in the countryside with the exception of heading down to the local. The local pub is the hub where people come and meet each other for a pint and a chat. In recent years, laws have tightened around drink-driving. Here I need to call something out.

Drink driving laws can never, I repeat never, be to strict. People die on our roads because someone has a drink and gets behind the wheel of a car. It’s a selfish and needless loss of life that’s totally avoidable. To anyone who believes that drink driving laws are killing the social lives of those living down the country; good. While I want everyone to have a social life, that doesn’t come at the cost of more dangerous roads.

Full stop.

All that said, you’ll notice I said perceived problem. Drink driving isn’t the problem at all. It’s rural infrastructure.

Taxis in the Countryside

Some bigger parishes won’t suffer from this problem at all. Smaller ones almost certainly will. I never did because I was lucky enough to have a taxi driver also considered a family friend. Once I call them, I get a taxi. Loyalty gets rewarded which has lead to some interesting discussions on the way home around apps like MyTaxi and the likes.

However, the real problem down the country is that people feel like they have no alternative way of getting to and from the pub other than their own car. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a regular taxi driver who’ve they’ve built up years of a rapport with, to the point of calling them a family friend. In fact, many localaties will struggle to have a taxi driver arrive out to them on a call of a busy Saturday night.

Unfortunately, it does make sense.

Taxi drivers can boost their revenue by avoiding long haul trips from the town or city to the countryside to do a local job. In the time that takes, they could do three or four spins around the city making much more revenue. Can’t really blame the taxi drivers. So why don’t we relax the laws which make having a proper Uber system in place?

Countryside Uber

If the real problem is countryside transport infrastructure, why not allow a service like Uber to come into the market?

This would need to be done carefully. Uber came up against stiff challenges from traditional taxi services and was banned from allowing the public to effectively operate as taxi drivers. My suggestion would be to trial an Uber-style system in rural parishes. I really don’t want this system to remove taxi drivers, but it could relieve the pressure on taxi services in rural Ireland.

Some precautions would obviously need to be in place. Drivers would need to be vetted and have a roadworthy car. The service would need to be geo-restricted. By this I mean drivers could drop people anywhere but only pick up in rural areas where there’s a shortage of taxi drivers. Considering Uber does have access to taxi drivers too they may be able to gauge availability and trigger this private ride sharing system based on demand.

Would Uber Work in the Countryside?

So would the system work?

I’ve no doubt it would come up against the same resistance that Uber came up against in general here in Ireland. Still, the benefits of this system are manifold.

We’d be keeping drink drivers off the road.

Connecting rural areas and keeping social life going.

Stimulating rural economies and generating a local “gig economy”.

Keep the local pub ticking over with punters, confident they can move about the parish.

Allowing traditional taxi drivers to remain in high-profit areas.

I could be totally wrong. Maybe taxi drivers aren’t bothered by the long spins and if that’s the case, we don’t need this system. But such a fuss has been kicked up about drink driving laws in the country, I can only assume there’s a genuine issue hindering people from moving about of a Saturday night. Maybe this is the answer to everyone’s problems?

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