Latest news with #Eir
Irish Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
We tested Nothing Headphone 1, the most unique looking over-ears on the market
Tech upstart Nothing has sparked a lot of debate after launching its first attempt at a futuristic style of headphones. The Carl Pei led firm has again steered away from today's tech design norms to further carve out its identity with another unique aesthetic. Headphone 1 look and feel premium. They employ the firm's now trademark translucent design language that enables some components to be on display, and look retro and futuristic at the same time. The only gripe is the softshell carrying case is quite large to accommodate the way the cans fold flat when not in use. But if you don't travel or commute much, this won't be such a big deal. READ MORE: Nothing Phone 3a review: is this the best smartphone you can buy for less than €400? READ MORE: Nothing confirms new Eir partnership ahead of launch of Phone 3 flagship Nothing Headphone 1 everyday use Nothing has curated a sound profile that perfectly matches the luxurious style of Headphone 1, while the Nothing X app unlocks the full potential of these cans. They feel like a vacation for your ears as the soft cushioning allows for unbelievable comfort even during lengthy listening sessions whether at home, at the gym or on a walk. Headphone 1 employ Nothing's trademark translucent design language that enables some components to be on display (Image: Nothing) As well as this, the effective passive and active noise cancellation (ANC) of the Nothing Headphone 1 allows you to exist in this bubble of comfort and luxury without distraction. And with no connectivity or stability issues, it's easy to enjoy your favourite tunes for hours on end. There's a decent Transparency mode for making and taking calls too. Headphone 1 feature custom-made 40mm audio drivers and support the standard SBC and AAC codecs along with the higher quality LDAC codec. Renowned audio brand KEF was integral in shaping the sound of these cans, and their moniker adorns the left earcup. They sound decent right out of the box, both bright and lively. Music isn't all they're good for, thanks to the new Spatial Audio that Nothing has introduced on these headphones. It's enabled in the Nothing X app. Watching your favourite show or playing a new video game is so immersive it feels like you're one of the characters on screen. Spatial Audio isn't the only feature that the Nothing X app opens up. The app allows the listener to fully customise the controls and the sound profile, making every set feel personal. Headphone 1 have an array of intuitive on-device controls for ease of use (Image: Nothing) The on-device physical controls are welcome and boost the user experience due to their ease of use. If you also own a Nothing Phone 3, the circular multifunction button can be used to channel hop between your five favourite apps. Multipoint Bluetooth connectivity is included along with fast-charging and on-head detection which automatically plays and pauses your content when you put on or remove the cans. If wireless connectivity isn't your thing, that's not a problem, as the headphones come with a cable in the box. They are IP52-rated for dust and water resistance. Headphone 1 deliver up to 35 hours of battery life with ANC switched on and an impressive 80 hours with it turned off. However, this depends greatly on the volume you are listening to your content at. In Ireland, they cost less than €300, which is well below the likes of Sony's flagship WH-1000XM6 and Apple's AirPods Max. Headphone 1 verdict Headphone 1 blend fashion and functionality (Image: Nothing) Nothing has pulled no punches in making these headphones feel like a gift of luxury sent from the future. Headphone 1 are a perfect blend of fashion and functionality and hopefully the start of a new era of audio. Nothing is making a statement with these cans, taking big risks in many aspects of its design and features. And their light and soft design makes it easy to forget you're even wearing them. Overall, Headphone 1 is a great choice for anyone looking for a pair of high-end over-ears who has tired of the bland styling offered by other brands. In a world where minimalism and monotony dominate the tech industry, I think Nothing is doing something truly incredible with their devices and I always look forward to what they'll do next. Pricing and availability Nothing Headphone 1 cost €299 from You can also buy them from Amazon. Product review and testing by Ryan Kavanagh. Edited by Mark Kavanagh.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Raft of vehicles seized from rogue drivers in Monaghan as gardaí hunt gang behind botched weekend raid
Four cars were taken off the road in a single day by officers attached to the county's Roads Policing Unit in Carrickmacross. Among the offences detected were for no insurance and learner drivers being found at the wheel without a fully qualified licence holder alongside them. A garda spokesperson also confirmed one of the motorists stopped and spoken to by gardaí, was later arrested on suspicion of driving under an intoxicant. 'Monaghan Roads Policing unit in the Carrickmacross District seized four vehicles under Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act in a single day last week for no insurance and learner drivers unaccompanied,' said the spokesperson. 'One of the drivers was arrested on suspicion of intoxicated driving.' Separately, gardaí have issued a public appeal in connection to botched attempts by thieves to steal Eir cable along a stretch of Threemilehouse Road, just past the county town's Rossmore Park entrance during the early hours of Friday morning. Gardaí are satisfied the culprits behind the abandoned raid were travelling in a red Northern Ireland registered Audi. As such, gardaí are hoping assistance and eye witness evidence from passing motorists and members of the public who were in the area at the time, could hold the key in brokering a breakthrough in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Monaghan Garda Station on 047-77200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Cork's roads left in 'appalling state' by utility companies
At this week's meeting of the council, Cllr Deirdre O'Brien put down a motion calling on the local authority to write to utility providers and service contractors, expressing dissatisfaction with the quality of reinstatement works on the county's roads. Cllr O'Brien said that the works 'are nothing short of appalling in places.' She described Uisce Éireann as 'the bane of our lives', while Eir and National Broadband Ireland 'are just absolutely appalling, the mess they're leaving after them'. The Fermoy councillor said the reinstatement works are often substandard, poorly finished and 'in many cases an outright hazard'. "Lumps of tar literally thrown around, potholes, dykes pulled out and, in some cases, trees cut into limbs left in drains, which leads to blocking the drains later on.' She said the work 'compromises the structural integrity of our roads, it accelerates deterioration, it poses risks to our drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, and shows disregard for the public realm that we all share a duty to protect'. There was widespread agreement among the other councillors present. Cllr Dominic Finn said that if contractors 'can get away with it, they'll chance it and they'll leave some of the reinstatement of the verges and the roads not done'. Cllr Sheila O'Callaghan said that the main street in Watergrasshill 'had 50 shades of grey from all the different people who had hacked at it and laid different surfaces, which makes it very unsightly'. In North Cork there are so many roads that had been looked after by our engineers and then wrecked by some other agency that has come in and left them in an appalling state,' said Cllr Kay Dawson. 'In Carrigaline we're waiting over 18 months for Irish Water to come back into an estate to patch up an area they took up' while Cllr Audrey Buckley said she's been waiting over four years for Eir to fix inspection covers on a footpath in Crosshaven that's part of the Safe Routes to School scheme,' Cllr Patrick Donovan added. Cork County Council Divisional Manager Niall Healy told the meeting that the local authority received over 5,000 applications for road opening licences last year. Uisce Éireann made up over 60 per cent, Eir 17 per cent, National Broadband Ireland 14 per cent and the remainder were ESB Networks and private contractors. He said that the conditions included within the licence require that the road be reinstated to the standard in which it was before the works were carried out. 'There are two issues that we monitor very closely. One is the timeliness, the other is the quality of the work that's carried out. 'We've had an issue with Uisce Éireann over the last two to three years where temporary reinstatements were being done, but they weren't being followed through with permanent reinstatements. So there was a legacy backlog right across the county in relation to Uisce ireann works,' he continued. Mr Healy added that the council has had several meetings with the national water utility and the situation has 'improved enormously'. "You may have seen blitzes by Uisce Eireann across the county where they've moved into particular geographic areas and they've done a lot of permanent reinstatements.' He concluded that the situation 'should be an improving one' but having the council is conscious that there are issues out there and they are being monitored. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Eir seeks £67m in damages from rival BT relating to dispute over NI public sector contract
Irish telecoms giant Eir was kept 'unlawfully in the dark' by its rival BT when tendering for the biggest public sector contract in Northern Ireland, the High Court in London has heard. On the opening day of the hearing, in which Dublin-based Eir is seeking damages from BT of £67 million (€78 million), the background to the long-running dispute was outlined, with Eir's barrister arguing that BT had a 'wealth' of secret information that led to it winning the £400 million contract in 2018. 'Eir went from being one of Northern Ireland's largest public sector players to being marginalised completely from the market ... and BT effectively stepping into their shoes in what was a role reversal,' Eir's barrister, Robert O'Donoghue, KC, said on Thursday. The tender process for the lucrative nine-year Northern Ireland Public Sector Shared Network (NIPSSN) contract ran between April 2016 and March 2018. READ MORE Schools, Stormont departments, health trusts and councils were among 150 organisations who would avail of the service. In 2020, Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, fined BT £6.3 million for unlawful anticompetitive practices during the procurement process. During his opening submission, Mr O'Donoghue referenced the Ofcom ruling and 'turbocharged' legal obligations it had previously placed on BT to ensure a level playing field for its competitors. 'Interestingly and prophetically BT objected to this additional obligation at the time,' he told the court. Eir, which is controlled by the French billionaire Xavier Niel, claims that Openreach (the network arm of BT) discriminated against it by failing to provide it with key information on costs and BT's fibre-to-the-premises on-demand product (FOD). BT and Eir were the only two bidders for the contract. For BT to portray its bid team as 'mavericks' in using FOD was 'self-serving nonsense', claimed Mr O'Donoghue, as the product 'is just another type of fibre that has been around many years'. 'The issue was that BT made it difficult to get a handle on costs ... Eir were kept unlawfully in the dark while BT had access to secret information on costs ... and the notion that the BT bid team had uniquely stumbled across some Holy Grail or secret source of FOD is obviously untrue.' The case is listed to run for four weeks. Some 14 witnesses, a 'considerable quantity' of expert material and complex technical background will be detailed, the court heard. 'It must be like staring at the foothills of the Matterhorn at the start of a climb,' Mr O'Donoghue told Judge Adam Johnson. 'But we submit that the points of this case are not actually that complicated, and to a material extent, not actually in dispute. 'The long and the short of it is, that everything matters, is admitted by BT. The starting point is that BT admitted the infringements to Ofcom.' The case continues.
Irish Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Iranian firm sought Irish diplomats' help for business deals with Vodafone, Eir and Three
A telecoms company with suspected ties to a key arm of the Iranian regime asked Irish diplomats for help setting up business deals in the Republic with Eir , Vodafone and Three , internal correspondence shows. The Iranian company linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) requested the help of the State's Embassy in Tehran at the start of this year to line up mobile roaming agreements with several Irish networks. In a January 6th letter, seen by The Irish Times, the Mobile Company of Iran (MCI) said it wanted to expand its roaming coverage to Ireland, 'considering the friendly relations' between the two countries. The Mobile Company of Iran is one of the largest telecoms firms in the country and is owned by a company believed to be under the control of the IRGC. READ MORE The revolutionary guard is a military force, but also controls sections of many important economic industries in Iran. It oversees covert operations and plays a central role in aiding Middle East proxy militias, such as Hamas and Hizbullah. 'We would like to express our gratitude for the consistent efforts of the Embassy of Ireland in strengthening bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Ireland,' the letter from MCI to the Irish Embassy said. The Iranian company claimed it had international roaming deals in place with nearly 200 operators across 110 countries, where local providers extend mobile phone coverage to customers travelling from foreign countries. 'We kindly request the esteemed Embassy of Ireland to facilitate and support the establishment of international roaming agreements with active operators in Ireland (Three, Vodafone, and Eir),' the letter said. The Republic's ambassador to Iran, Laoise Moore, did not respond to the letter, a copy of which was released to The Irish Times following a Freedom of Information Act request. Vodafone previously had a roaming deal with MCI, but cut ties in the last year. The UK telecoms giant feared the agreement might breach rules prohibiting companies from doing business with the Iranian regime. Three Ireland did not respond to queries about whether it was involved in any discussions to sign a roaming deal with the Iranian company. An Eir spokeswoman said its roaming agreements were 'established in full compliance with existing international legal frameworks'. The company 'reviews publicly available sanctions lists prior to finalising any agreements', she said. Eir did not respond to specific questions about MCI. An internal assessment by the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, previously said there was reason to believe MCI was 'indirectly owned or controlled' by an entity that had been sanctioned by the bloc. The main shareholder of MCI is connected to an entity put on an EU sanctions blacklist in 2010, due to links to the IRGC. A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said the IRGC was subject to economic sanctions, but the Mobile Company of Iran itself was not. Irish staff working in the Tehran Embassy were evacuated when fighting between Israel and Iran intensified, in the 12-day war that ended at the start of last week. The Embassy in Iran had only reopened last year, after having been closed in 2012 as part of a cost-cutting effort following the financial crash. The letter from MCI to Ms Moore was addressed to 'His excellency, ambassador of Ireland in the Islamic Republic of Iran'.
