Daniel Mackey On Absolutely Anything

Just noticed on the O2 Website that the iPhone will launch in Ireland on the 14th March and will come in 2 flavours

• 8GB for 399 Euro
• 16GB for 499 Euro

The prices above are about 100 Euro more expensive than the US equivalent. I got mine for about 300 Euro.

The tariffs are bloody expensive though!

Remember, I am on a 30 GB Data Plan for 30 Euro per month and these plans only give 1 GB with the lowest being 45 Euro. I am on a shared business plan for voice and texts which for 3 phones works out at about 200 per month.

Anybody serious about getting an iPhone and not wanting to be hooked into an 18 month contract with O2 would be better off buying an iphone and unlocking it using the brilliant ziPhone which we used here to upgrade to 1.1.3 and works in 4 minutes. No bullshit. No Hassle. No Lock.

I have been inundated with emails regarding running an iphone in Ireland and I am more than happy to reply to these right away (Thanks to my iPhone ;-) )

Some things that may help people:

• EDGE works. Its basically GPRS and all you need is the VPN server, username and password.
• An unlocked iPhone is not crippled in any way. All the normal services of a locked phone is available on an unlocked phone.
  • EDGE
  • Google Maps
  • iTunes
  • Wifi
  • etc
• ziPhone works and is the bollox. 4 minutes and your free!
• There is always a way to fix a bricked iphone. Dont believe the scare mongering. Its basically a linux machine and can be restored / hacked / jailbroken.
• Once you go iPhone, you wont go to any other phone. People who say the N95 is better are full of shit and jealous cause the bought a rock while you play with your iphone.
• Safari is amazing. Fully featured (bar Flash but thats on the way). Better than Opera mobile.

So, if you have an iphone, thinking of getting an iphone or need some help on an unlocked iphone, dont be shy and post a comment! Remember. Its not illegal to own one in Ireland ;-)

I was shocked and sad to learn that one of the main stars of the forth coming Batman film The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York City apartment yesterday evening.

Speculation on his death circles around a drug overdose but it is unkown whether it was accidental.

Heath Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the controversial film Broke Back Mountain and was brought to Hollywood fame by Mel Gibson as a supporting role in the The Patriot.

I first remember Heath Ledger from the film 10 Things I Hate About You, followed by A Knights Tale and The Brothers Grimm. Although I wasnt a major Heath Ledger fan, I was really looking forward to seeing him the new Batman film, The Dark Kight (more information here)

What a waste of talent. Heath Ledger was only 28 years old and already achieved so much. Unfortunately Heath Ledger is dead, and I dont want to sound like a dick, but I hope the new Batman film is not postponed....

Do you know that Starbucks is not a franchise? It is solely owned and operated by the Starbucks Group. I always thought it was a franchise....

Before I go on, I must admit I absolutely love Starbucks coffee. I actually drive right across the city to the Airport to pick one up sometimes. Second to Starbucks is Costa Coffee, infact Costa tastes nearly the same...

I was passing Penrose Wharf the other evening and had a peek in the window of the Siemens canteen to see if the rumour of a Starbucks coffee shop was true. It is. Picture below....

What I dont understand is why dont they open a dispensing window or let the public in? I park in the Euro Car park every morning and walk past Penrose Wharf every morning and every evening and instead of putting up with the diesel they serve in Le Cheile (The deli, not the bar) I would grab me a Venti Latte from Starbucks.

Can anyone confirm the rumour that a Starbucks is opening in UCC?

I was just returning from lunch and noticed that the Virgin Megastore in Cork is no more and it is now called Zavvi.

First reactions were Thats horrible!!

The more I thoght about it on the walk to the office, the more I felt my initial thought was correct. The branding is horrible and sparse and not a bit inviting. Virgin Megastore was nice and colourful and with a brand that was recognised.

I remember when Virgin Megastore opened in the Queens Old Castle and it was jointed from the word go. Over the years, I have seen the effects in decreased movie and music sales hitting HMV and Virgin Megastore. A usual sighting outside them now is a paper flip-board with special offers. A walk in there over Christmas showed that video games are now the top seller for them with movies moved to the centre of the store and music pushed down the back.

Of course, last year also we saw the closure of Golden Discs on Patrick Street. I heard rumours not so long ago that Virgin Megastore was being purchased by a group of employees. Is that what happened? Other rumours around town suggest that the HMV shop was sold 9not as a going concern) and will be shutting soon.

My prediction is that this new store Zavvi will not last too long. We may see a closure in less than 2 years. With increased competition online, decreasing DVD and music sales from bricks and mortar stores and the increase in shops such as Game and GameStop, and a terrible new and unproven brand, this last ditch effort will simply not be profitable.

Is it just me? I dont get the whole media interest in Pat Falvey et al. They made the choice to go to the south pole. I dont see it as anything but a personal achievement.

Listening to Neil Prenderville makes my blood boil. What is his hard on for Pat Falvey. Gimps are ringing in looking to give him the freedom of the city, putting him on a postage stamp, collecting money for him etc

The are giving out about the American research base not giving them a meal or a shower when they arrived! Why should they? They didnt ask them to call down to them! They have nothing to do with Pat Falveys little trip. I was actually disappointed he actually made it to the south pole alive as I knew we would have to hear so much bollox about how great himself and his team are. They're not. It was their choice.

Next time I go on holidays, I hope Neil Prenderville gives me as much exposure. I hope people do a whip around for me to pay for it and I fancy being on a postage stamp. Freedom of the city would also be nice. Come on people. Make it happen!