Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Xplore, Bell, expand network in Newfoundland and Labrador through provincial, federal funding

Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfundland, St. Anthony. Local flags.

The federal government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador have partnered to provide the province with $94 million for high-speed internet projects.

The government bodies have allocated the funds to Bell and Xplore, who will collectively bring high-speed internet access to 36,000 homes and over 350 rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

Xplore is doing so by deploying fibre-to-the-home and 5G fixed wireless technologies to residents and businesses. The move will provide speeds up to 40 times faster than what rural communities currently have access to, the company said in a press release.

“Xplore’s goal is to deliver a true broadband experience that will enable Newfoundland residents to more fully enjoy rural living,” Cathy MacDonald, Xplore’s COO, said.

Xplore’s expansion will connect  270 rural communities to fibre-to-the-premise internet, and upwards of 100,000 homes and businesses will be able to access gigabit speeds.

Bell’s project will also benefit dozens of communities.

“Reliable high-speed internet access is a key contributor to the development of communities both large and small, and we’re proud to partner with the Government of Canada and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to expand our all-fibre broadband network to even more communities,”  Glen LeBlanc, Bell’s CFO, said.

Funding from the two government bodies comes from a February 2022 announcement that saw the governments commit $136 million to connect residents with high-speed internet.

Source: ISED, Xplore

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Mobile Syrup

Bell, Rogers, and Telus offer similar 5G availability and reach: Opensignal

Bell, Rogers, and Telus consistently claim they offer Canada’s best 5G service. But a recent analysis from Opensignal reveals the competing providers don’t have the stronghold they all claim to possess.

The analysis found Bell offered the best 5G download speed in Canada, averaging at 158.7Mbp. The figure is nearly 15 percent faster than Telus and 21 percent faster than Rogers. However, the analysis also found that Rogers improved its download speed from its last report, published in August 2022, the most, increasing its speed by 32.6Mbps.

Rogers offered the fasted 5G upload speed. It has a score of 29.9Mbps, with an 8Mbps gap with Bell and Telus, which tied for second. Rogers also led in the last report and increased its speed by 5.8Mbps this time around. While Telus and Bell customers also saw an increase in the recent analysis, they weren’t able to catch up to Rogers.

Image credit: © Opensignal Limited

Telus offered the best 5G video experience, scoring 75.1 points out of 100. Bell and Rogers statistically tied for second. However, all three fall in the “very good” category, which has scores from 68-78.

The big three also had tied scores in the 5G reach and availability categories.

The results are based on device data Opensignal collected between October 1st and December 29th, 2022.

Mobile Network Experience

Opensignal used the same parameters to collect data for network experiences and found Rogers offered Canadians the best video experience. It was the only company from the big three to score a “very good rating” from Opensignal.

This means the devices surveyed streamed video at 1080p or better. Users were also satisfied with the time it took to load videos and there was “little stalling.” In comparison, both Bell and Telus had statistically similar scores and fell in the “good” category.

However, both Bell and Telus stayed ahead of Rogers when it came to 4G coverage. The telecom companies received a score of 9.8 compared to Rogers’ 8.8.

“Our users on Bell and Telus connect to 4G in the most locations out of all those visited by our users across all carriers,” the analysis found.

Bell offered the fastest overall download speeds in Canada, a category it has taken for the second time in a row. The average download speed was 74Mbps, almost 4 percent faster than Telus and nearly 26 percent faster than Rogers.

When it came to core consistent quality, Telus took top honours. With a score of 91 percent, it paced Bell by less than 2 percent.

Source: Open Signal 

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 rumoured to feature curved glass design

Samsung looks to be returning to a curved glass design for its upcoming Galaxy Watch, according to a well-known leaker.

The prolific leaker, Ice Universe, tweeted that the Galaxy Watch 6 will return to a curved glass design. However, Ice Universe states that there isn’t “much other” information about the watch’s design.

The Galaxy Watch 5 and 4 both offered a flat glass display in comparison. However, the company did use a curved glass display on the Galaxy Watch Active 2, a device that Samsung launched way back in 2019.

Competitor-wise, Google’s Pixel Watch has a curved glass dome display. That said, Samsung may use Apple’s strategy, as its Watch 8 series has curved glass. Apple uses its glass to hide its bezels, and Samsung does the same technique on its smartphones, so it’d make sense that Galaxy Watch 6 would follow suit.

It’s unclear when Samsung will unveil its Galaxy Watch 6 series, but it’ll likely come alongside the company’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5.

Source: Ice Universe

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Mobile Syrup

iPhone 15’s display driver may result in a more efficient battery

Recent iPhone leaks have suggested that the upcoming flagship series might have two selfie cameras, thinner and curved bezels, a Titanium frame and a USB-C port for charging.

However, not much has been revealed about the upcoming line’s battery capabilities.

As reported by 9to5Mac back in December, Apple is moving to the 3nm process for its A17 chip, which would likely only be included in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max versions. The change would allow the battery to perform more efficiently. Now, it seems as though a change in the upcoming series’ display driver might also play a role in extending battery life.

The display driver, too, is reported to use a smaller process, going from 40nm to 28nm, as reported by Economic Daily News, via 9to5Mac. This would result in the OLED display becoming more power-efficient. The display driver chip sits between the main processor and the display, handling the switching on and off of the pixels.

Supply chain sources revealed that the process of Apple iPhone 15 series OLED driver chip will be upgraded from 40nm HV to 28nm HV, which will help further reduce power consumption and improve battery life.

According to the report of Jiwei.com, at present, the core suppliers of Apple OLED drive chips are LX Semicon and Samsung System LSI, among which Samsung System LSI driver chips are mainly OEM by Samsung Electronics and United Power, and LX Semicon drive chips are mainly driven by TSMC, United Power, Grid Core OEM.

The report states that the company’s two main suppliers for these chips are planning to redesign the display drivers to use the smaller 28nm process. However, Apple’s high demand for the new chips may cause an industry shortage of 28nm production capacity, impacting other industry giants as well.

Image credit: Economic Daily News

Source: Economic Daily News Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Capacity will impact the bills of U.S. Starlink customers. Is Canada next?

Some Starlink customers in the U.S. will see their bills change based on capacity come April 24th.

According to a tweet from Sawyer Merritt, a Tesla investor, customers residing in areas with “excess capacity” will see their bills decrease $20 a month to a final cost of $90/month. Those located where Starlink has “limited capacity” will see their bills increase $10/month to $120 a month. Starlink for RV customers will also see a $15 price hike to $150/month.

Customers have reportedly been notified of their associated price change through email. If responses on Twitter are any indication, customers aren’t happy with the increase.

Merritt points out the change applies to U.S. customers, and it’s unclear if Canadians will also see a price hike. MobileSyrup has reached out to the company and will update this article once a response is available.

Starlink users in Canada last saw a price hike in March 2022. While other countries saw a decrease in the summer, Canada was not on that list.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: @SawyerMerritt/ Twitter 

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Mobile Syrup

Google One unlocks Pixel’s Magic Eraser for Android and iPhone users

Google is expanding its Photos and Pixel features like Magic Eraser to more people through its Google One membership program.

Google says that starting today, One subscribers on both iOS and Android will be able to access Magic Eraser in Google Photos. The previously Pixel-exclusive feature will have much wider availability going forward, assuming you’re willing to pony up for Google One (though you don’t need a One membership to use it on a Pixel).

Magic Eraser, for those unfamiliar with the feature, debuted on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. It allows users to erase people and objects from pictures captured with their phone. For example, if your selfie has someone in the background, or if there’s a chair messing up your favourite shot, Magic Eraser makes it easy to rid photos of those blemishes. Despite being exclusive to newer Pixel phones, there were workarounds to get Magic Eraser on older Pixels too.

Moreover, Google announced that a new HDR video effect and new collage styles will be available to One subscribers, and members will get free shipping on print orders.

The new HDR effect is just an extension of the existing effect for images, but now you can apply it to videos. Google says the HDR effect can enhance the brightness and contrast of videos.

Google Photos will get new collage editor designs too. Google says all Photos users can now apply Styles to a single photo in the collage editor, and it’s adding a “range of new Styles” for Google One members and Pixel users.

Finally, the free shipping benefit will be available to Google One members in Canada as well as the U.S., E.U. and the U.K. As before, people can use Photos to create custom photo books, as well as canvas and photo prints — now shipping is free for One members.

In Canada, Google One costs $2.79/mo or $27.99/year for 100GB, $3.99/mo or $39.99/year for 200GB, $13.99/mo or $139.99/year for 2TB, and $35.99/mo or $359.99/year for 5TB. Along with storage for Photos and other Google services, One offers other benefits like VPN access, store credit back in purchases on the Google Store and more. You can learn more here.

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Mobile Syrup

There might be a 10GB for 24 months promotion waiting in your MyRogers account

Rogers is currently offering some customers an additional 10GB of data for 24 months at no additional cost, though your mileage may vary.

As shared by RedFlagDeals (RFD) user ‘sweetsimplistic,’ (spotted by iPhone in Canada) Rogers offered the promotion via text and through their MyRogers account. It’s worth noting that sweetsimplistic is currently on a Rogers EPP plan that costs $35 per month and offers 20GB of data, though a text message about the offer indicates it isn’t connected to the current plan.

“I got it as a text message and then when I logged into My Rogers account, it was highlighted as exclusive offer in red beside my phone number. I don’t recall opting into anything,” wrote ‘sweetsimplistic,’ in a reply to a user. Many Rogers customers on the RFD forum reported receiving text messages notifying them of a 10GB data bonus for 24 months, while some reported receiving the same GB promotion for 15 months.

To check if you’ve received such an offer, log in to your MyRogers account, and the promotion should be highlighted as an exclusive offer in red beside your phone number.

Image credit: RedFlagDeals user ‘sweetsimplistic’

Source: RedFlagDeals user ‘sweetsimplistic’ Via: iPhone in Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Virgin Plus, Koodo roll out double data deals on select BYOP plans

Bell flanker brand Virgin Plus and Telus flanker brand Koodo both have double data deals on select plans when customers bring their own phones.

The offers are online and can net users as much as 30GB of data per month for $65 or less and come just a week after Virgin and Koodo ended their $10/mo Lunar New Year discounts.

Starting with Virgin Plus, the provider currently has two online exclusive offers, though they’re only for new activations and if you bring your own phone (BYOP). The first is $60/mo for 10GB of data with a 10GB bonus for 20GB total.

Screenshot of Virgin Plus plans

Double data plans available at Virgin Plus as of February 23rd, 2023.

Similarly, Virgin offers a $65/mo plan with 15GB of data and a bonus 15GB of data for 30GB total. It’s worth noting that Virgin also lists those plans without the bonus data, so make sure you select the right one if you choose to take advantage of the offer.

You can check out Virgin’s plans here.

Koodo also has the double-data offers for BYOP plans but with additional savings. Like Virgin, Koodo has a $65/mo plan with 15GB of data and 15GB of bonus data for 30GB total. However, Koodo also lists the plan as being available for $50/mo for 15 months, making it a far better deal than Virgin’s version.

Screenshot of Koodo plans.

Double data plans available at Koodo as of February 23rd, 2023.

Koodo also has the $60/mo 10GB plan with 10GB of bonus data for 20GB total, but it doesn’t have a discounted price.

You can check out Koodo’s plans here.

At the time of writing, Rogers’ flanker brand Fido did not have a similar double-data offer, though given how these providers operate, I expect Fido will roll out a similar offer soon.

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Mobile Syrup

Google is blocking some Canadians from accessing news content under new test

Google is blocking some Canadians from accessing news content as a possible response to Bill C-18.

If the bill, known as the Online News Act, passes, digital platforms like Google and Meta will be responsible for paying news outlets for articles and other content they publish on their platforms.

According to The Canadian Press, the trial impacts roughly four percent of Canadians and pertains to the search engine and Google Discover on Android. The test will last five weeks, the publication reports.

“We’re briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users,” Google spokesman Shay Purdy told The Canadian Press. “We’ve been fully transparent about our concern that C-18 is overly broad and, if unchanged, could impact products Canadians use and rely on every day.”

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: The Canadian Press 

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Mobile Syrup

Bell, Virgin warn of service interruptions in southwest Ontario due to weather

Bell says some of its customers in the “southwest region of Ontario” might experience service interruptions due to adverse weather conditions.

In a tweet from the @Bell_Support account, Bell shared the warning and said it was “working to restore service as quickly as possible.”

Bell flanker brand Virgin Plus is also experiencing issues, according to a similar tweet shared by the @VirginPlus account.

We’ll update this post with additional information as it becomes available.

Source: Bell, Virgin Plus