Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Get ready to pay more for Apple’s battery replacement service

One week from now, Apple will start charging Canadians extra for out-of-warranty iPhone, MacBook, and iPad battery replacements.

“The current out-of-warranty battery service fee will apply until the end of February 2023. Effective March 1, 2023, the out-of-warranty battery service fee will be increased by $30 for all iPhone models prior to iPhone 14,” reads Apple’s support page.

On the other hand, the repair page for MacBooks reads that “The current out-of-warranty battery service fee will apply until the end of February 2023. Effective March 1, 2023, the out-of-warranty battery service fee will be increased by $50 for all MacBook Air models and by $80 for all MacBook and MacBook Pro models except for MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023) and MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023).”

Similarly, battery replacement cost for the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th-gen and prior), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd gen and prior), iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, iPad mini (6th-gen and prior), and iPad Air (5th-gen and prior) will rise by $36. The current cost is an estimated $129 for these models.

If you have an iPhone, MacBook or iPad that’s out of warranty and needs a new lease on life, you should get the battery replaced within the next week.

It’s worth noting that your iPhone is eligible for a battery replacement at no additional cost if you have AppleCare+ and your device’s battery holds less than 80 percent of its original capacity.

To get your device’s battery replaced, either make an appointment at an Apple Authorized Service Provider or visit an Apple Store.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

PlayStation VR2 is now available in Canada

The next generation of PlayStation VR, the appropriately named PlayStation VR2, is finally here.

As a peripheral for the PlayStation 5, the PS VR2 sports 4K HDR visuals, on top of features like eye-tracking, front cameras and haptic feedback and adaptive triggers with the new Sense controllers.

Games-wise, the headset has more than 40 games coming at or shortly after launch, including Horizon Call of the Mountain, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, Before Your Eyes, Creed: Rise to Glory Championship Edition, Resident Evil Village and Gran Turismo 7. While some games are on the original PS VR and offer free PS VR2 updates, the new headset isn’t backwards compatible with its predecessor.

Then there’s the price. In Canada, the PS VR2 has a rather steep price tag of $750. An $819.99 Call of the Mountain bundle is available, which includes the headset and the game, but that only saves you $10.

If you have the disposable income for this admittedly luxury item, you can order it at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy Canada, GameStop, The Source and Walmart.

For more on the PS VR2, check out our review.

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Mobile Syrup

SanDisk discounts up to 17 percent off select SD Cards

SanDisk is offering up to 17 percent off select SD Cards today from Amazon Canada.

Check out these deals below:

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though we may earn a commission on purchases made via these links that helps fund the journalism provided free on our website.

Source: Amazon Canada

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Mobile Syrup

This horror movie production house is venturing into horror games

Well-known popular movie studio Blumhouse Productions is expanding into other ventures.

The production company known for working on horror movies like Paranormal Activity, Get Out, Insidious and M3GAN is dipping its feet into video games — horror video games to be precise, as reported by The Verge.

The new division of the company is called Blumhouse Games, and it will publish horror-themed titles for consoles, PCs and mobile devices. The studio will work alongside smaller indie developers that have budgets below $10 million.

“There’s a unique opportunity for horror and genre in the indie game space, and I’m thrilled about teaming up with Blumhouse to meaningfully leverage the company’s brand, reputation, and creative talent,” said Zach Wood, who will serve as president of the new division, in a statement.

The company hasn’t revealed what game it plans to work on first, but we do know, via CNBC, that Blumhouse is looking to merge with director James Wan’s production company Atomic Monster, with the deal expected to close this summer.

Image credit: Blumhouse 

Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Bethesda reveals Mighty Doom, a Canadian-made mobile shooter

Bethesda has announced that a new game in the Doom franchise is coming next month.

Unlike previous Doom titles, the upcoming game isn’t coming to PC or consoles, and instead, it’s arriving on mobile. Developed by Nova Scotia-based Alpha Dog, the game is called Mighty Doom.

“Mighty Doom is an adorably violent top-down, single-touch action shooter introducing the all-new Mini Slayer, set in the animated Doom universe. Run and gun your way through hordes of adorably violent demons, iconic levels, and challenging bosses as you level up, unlock powerful skills, and upgrade gear and weapons,” wrote Bethesda.

The game launches on March 21st, with pre-registrations now live for both Android and iOS. Pre-registration closes on March 19th, 2023.

Further, if you play the title during its global launch period (March 21st through April 20th), you’ll receive a free ‘Mini Slayer’s pack’ with keys, crystals and weapon skins.

Bethesda says that you’ll be able to take control of a ‘mini slayer’ in-game, which will be an all-new, miniaturized but mighty character based on the iconic Doom Slayer. “When an unknown energy surge rips through a Gibbo toy factory, the Mini Slayer is brought to life and transported to an alternate dimension. Your mission? Kill every demon that stands between you and your stolen pet bunny Daisy.”

Learn more about the upcoming mobile title here.

Image credit: Bethesda

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Mobile Syrup

Xbox signs 10-year deal to bring its games to Nvidia GeForce Now

Xbox has signed a 10-year agreement to bring its PC games to Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service.

Under this deal, Xbox’s PC titles will be playable through GeForce Now on PCs, macOS, Chromebooks, smartphones and other supported devices. This includes Xbox’s existing games and future titles, such as Activision Blizzard’s catalogue (including Call of Duty) should Microsoft’s acquisition of the company be approved.

In a statement, Nvidia said this partnership “resolves” its concerns with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and it’s “therefore is offering its full support for regulatory approval of the acquisition.” Bloomberg had previously reported that Nvidia was one of several companies that had been apprehensive that Microsoft owning the Call of Duty publisher would hinder competition.

While Microsoft doesn’t anticipate the deal closing until mid-2023, it says it will “begin work immediately” with Nvidia to integrate its Xbox PC games into GeForce Now. This will allow members to “stream PC games they buy in the Windows Store, including third-party partner titles where the publisher has granted streaming rights to Nvidia.” Xbox PC games offered on third-party stores like Steam or Epic Games Store will also be made available for streaming through GeForce Now.

The Nvidia deal comes hot on the heels of Microsoft signing a separate 10-year agreement with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to the Japanese gaming giant’s platforms. Microsoft says it’s offered a similar deal to Sony, although the PlayStation maker has yet to accept. Speaking at a conference in Brussels, Microsoft president Brad Smith said Sony “can spend all of its energy trying to block this deal […] or it can sit down with us and hammer out an agreement that addresses what it says it’s concerned about, mainly the access to Call of Duty in the future.”

The primary point of contention in PlayStation’s efforts to stop the deal has been Call of Duty. The company argues that Microsoft owning the franchise and putting it on its Xbox Game Pass service as previously announced would harm sales on PlayStation and other platforms. Microsoft, therefore, has been looking to make deals with companies like Nvidia and Nintendo to show regulatory groups that it’s willing to play nice — at least for the first 10 years.

Microsoft has also argued that PlayStation and Nintendo are bigger players in the gaming industry in an effort to diminish how much of an impact its acquisition would have. To that point, the company most recently made the case that it only has a 20 percent market share in Europe compared to Sony’s 80 percent.

It remains to be seen if and when the Activision Blizzard deal will be closed.

Source: Nvidia

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Mobile Syrup

How to sign up for Netflix account sharing in Canada

Netflix is finally cracking down on password sharing in Canada.

As of February 22nd, all users must have a designated “primary location” for where they’ll stream. This is tracked by your home Wi-Fi network. Connecting to this Wi-Fi network at least once per month will allow you to keep using Netflix on mobile devices should you plan to travel for a few weeks. However, anyone else who tries to stream outside of that primary location “may be blocked from watching Netflix.”

Therefore, the only way to share Netflix with another household is to pay up. In Canada, this costs $7.99/month per person (“extra member”). Netflix Premium subscribers ($20.99/month) can purchase up to two extra members, while Standard subscribers ($16.49/month) may buy one extra member. Basic ($9.99/month) and Basic with Ads ($5.99/month) subscribers cannot purchase extra members. Extra members will have their own account and password, but their membership will be paid for by you.

On a web browser, Premium and Standard subscribers can visit the ‘Buy an extra member slot‘ section under your ‘Account’ once you’re signed in. From here, you’ll have to confirm your new monthly Netflix cost and billing date.

Once that’s done, set up your extra member by entering their name, email address and your name. This information will be used to send your extra member an invitation to be added to your account. If they already have a profile under your account, you can choose to them transfer it once they receive the invitation or let them create a new profile entirely. Profile transfers will allow them to keep their viewing history, ‘My List,’ personalized recommendations and more.

You can also buy an extra member from your TV. If you log in and see a message that says, “To keep sharing with someone who doesn’t live with you, please add an extra member,” click ‘Learn more.’ From there, select ‘Start Extra Member’ and confirm the new monthly payment amount and billing date. Next, select ‘Next’ to enter the phone number of the extra member, who will receive a text message containing their invitation link.

Netflix is cracking down on password sharing because it says more than 100 million additional households are sharing accounts, thus “impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films.”

Naturally, many people have expressed their displeasure with this move, especially after Netflix had previously promoted password sharing as a positive thing. In January, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters acknowledged that this “will not be a universally popular move” and the company will “see a bit of a cancel reaction to that.”

It remains to be seen to what extent that will occur, but in Ontario, at least, a recent survey found that 60 percent of respondents will cancel Netflix due to this crackdown.

Are you willing to pay the sharing fee or will you just cancel Netflix? Let us know in the comments.

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 rumoured to feature larger external display than predecessor

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 is rumoured to feature a drastic update this year. The handset will reportedly include an external screen that’s larger than the OPPO Find N2 Flip’s.

This report comes from the well-known Ice Universe, and indicates that the external display on the Flip 5 will at least measure in at 3.26-inches. That is double the size of what’s available on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. 

It’s unclear if the display will be vertical like the OPPO Find N2 or continue on the horizontal track like the Z Flip 4.

With a larger display area, it’s possible that the external screen will offer more functionalities than what was previously available with the Flip 4.

Hopefully, Samsung adds Snake to the smartphone’s cover screen.

Source: @IceUniverse

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Mobile Syrup

The next Pokémon Presents takes place on February 27

On Pokémon Day, February 27th, the day that the first Pokémon game launched in 1996 in Japan, The Pokémon Company has a surprise in stor for fans of the series.

A 20-minute Pokémon Presents is scheduled for 9am ET/6am PT to celebrate the series’ anniversary.

It’s unclear what the Pokémon Company will reveal that day, but rumours indicate the developer is working on a DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, so it’s possible we’ll learn more about that.

While unlikely, I wish the Pokémon Company unveiled a Let’s Go-style game based on Pokémon Gold and Silver or even a Pokémon Coloseum remake.

Source: Pokémon Company

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Mobile Syrup

Google Messages finally admits ‘chat’ is RCS

It seems Google is giving up and finally just calling it RCS.

The search giant has been hard at work pushing Rich Communication Services (RCS) as the new de facto messaging protocol between smartphones, going so far as to engage in an extensive bullying campaign against Apple for doing everything in its power not to adopt RCS.

The thing is, Google has so far shied away from actually calling RCS by its now. All through Google’s Messages app, the word ‘chat’ is used instead of RCS. That’s changing now — as spotted by 9to5Google, Google now uses ‘RCS chat’ throughout the Message app.

According to 9to5, the changes show up in various places. Text that previously read “Enable chat features” now reads “Turn on RCS chats.” Messages now specifies whether you’re using SMS/MMS or messing with an “RCS message.” Another change; “RCS chat with [contact]” rather than “Chatting with [contact].”

RCS Chat

Messages with the old ‘chat’ branding (left) and new ‘RCS chat’ branding (right) | Image credit: 9to5Google

Currently, the change is rolling out to users in the Messages open beta — I haven’t received it yet, but I tend to get these changes after everyone else.

While it may not seem like a big deal overall, it could be a subtle way for Google to build name recognition for RCS. Given the company’s other efforts trying to convince people to use RCS (and trying to convince Apple to get on board), this could prove helpful. On its own, though, I don’t think putting RCS front and centre will win over new users.

Image credit: Google

Source: 9to5Google