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Apple’s Crash Detection goes through another round of ‘optimizations’

Apple’s Crash Detection feature is a genuinely useful tool that also has several drawbacks.

Reports regarding false crash signals with the feature aren’t entirely new. Following the feature falsely detecting crashes when the wearer is riding a roller coaster, it was discovered that Crash Detection also sometimes gives false positives when the user participates in winter sports like skiing.

Apple’s iOS 16.1.2 update included “Crash Detection optimizations,” though it seems the update wasn’t enough to deter false positives, and the Cupertino-based giant is now trying to optimize the feature again. The New iOS 16.3.1 update provides bug fixes for iCloud settings which were being displayed incorrectly or were unresponsive in situations where apps were using iCloud. It also fixes a bug where Siri requests for ‘Find My’ were not working for some users.

Additionally, “Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models” are included in the update.

Apple didn’t detail what it means when it says “optimizations” or how the update would help prevent false positives. Crash Detection is turned on by default. You can turn off alerts and automatic emergency calls from Apple after a crash in Settings > Emergency SOS, then turn off Call After Severe Crash.

To update your device to iOS 16.3.1, head to Settings and tap on General. Choose Software Update, and iOS 16.3.1 should be available for you to download. Elsewhere, security and bug fixes for the Apple Watch, Macs, the Apple TV and the iPad also rolled out.

Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s iPhone hardware subscription service reportedly delayed

Apple is reportedly still working on an iPhone hardware subscription service alongside its already announced ‘Apple Pay Later’ program.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the tech giant is developing four different payment-related projects, including its previously announced ‘Apple Card Savings Account’ and ‘Apple Pay Later.’ The other two platforms, its iPhone hardware subscription program and ‘Apple Pay Monthly Installments,’ haven’t been announced yet.

Bloomberg says that Apple’s iPhone subscription platform was initially set to launch in 2021 alongside the iPhone 13 and then the iPhone 14 in 2022. However, it’s suffered from “engineering and technical setbacks that have led to slow progress and missed deadlines.” The project is rumoured to still be in the works, however.

In Canada, you can already purchase the iPhone, iPad and Mac on a monthly installment plan. For example, the iPhone 14 is available for $45.79 per month over 24 months at 0 percent APR. This offer is provided to Apple through Paybright by Affirm. The U.S. also offers a similar monthly payment plan.

Unlike these financing options, the rumoured subscription service will feature a “yet-to-be-determined monthly fee that depends on which device the user chooses.” Apple Pay Later differs from both of these offers in that it will be open to more devices and is tied to the Apple Card.

Gurman says that Apple Pay Later will launch in the U.S. in “March or April.” It’s unclear when the hardware subscription platform or Apple Card Savings Account will release in the United States.

It’s important to note that we don’t know if Apple plans to release its rumoured iPhone hardware subscription program in Canada. While we eventually got Apple Pay, the service arrived several months after its U.S. release, and we still don’t have the Apple Card here. With this in mind, if the service does come here, it will likely be well after other regions.

Source: Bloomberg Via: 9to5Mac 

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Mobile Syrup

It costs Apple up to $474 USD to produce an iPhone 14 Pro Max

Last week, Counterpoint Research published a breakdown of the components used in the Pixel 7 Pro and how much it cost Google to produce one of the phones. Now Counterpoint is back with the price of making an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

According to Counterpoint, it costs Apple up to $474 USD (about $631.75 CAD) to make a 128GB iPhone 14 Pro Max with mmWave and $454 USD (roughly $605.09 CAD) for a 14 Pro Max with just Sub-6 5G. Counterpoint estimated a blended cost of $464 USD (approximately $618.42 CAD), assuming 44 percent of 14 Pro Max devices feature mmWave. It’s worth noting that in Canada, likely only the Sub-6 models are available, given that Canadian carriers don’t yet offer mmWave 5G.

Apple’s cost to produce the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 3.7 percent higher than the 13 Pro Max, according to Counterpoint. The increase primarily comes from the new 48-megapixel camera sensor and always-on display.

Counterpoint also noted that some components decreased in price this year, notably some of the cellular components.

Some other interesting bits of information from the Counterpoint document included the A16 Bionic chip costs about $11 USD more per unit than the A15 Bionic, and the overall ‘processing’ category — which includes the A16 Bionic — now accounts for 20 percent of the total cost.

Moreover, Apple’s self-designed components make up a larger share of the total bill of materials (BoM) cost for the iPhone 14 Pro Max than for the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Self-designed components make up 22 percent of the overall BoM cost for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

It’s also important to keep in mind that the costs detailed by Counterpoint don’t include things like assembly, packaging, distribution, research and development, or marketing. While it might be tempting to think that Apple’s ripping people off, there’s a lot more to consider when it comes to the price of the iPhone.

You can view the full report here.

Source: Counterpoint Research Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

ISED outlines new policy direction for CRTC

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada has issued a new policy direction for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

This overtakes the 2006 policy direction and builds on the 2019 direction, which focuses partly on the competition with wholesale internet access and increasing competitors in the mobile wireless sector.

Wholesale internet

ISED has directed the CRTC to operate a framework that provides wholesale internet services at reasonable rates, which should be monitored and adjusted as necessary. A variety of speed options, including low-cost ones, should be included.

The CRTC is also tasked with ensuring wholesale internet is available across the market. This means it has to direct the supply of aggregated wholesale internet service. This must run alongside other mandated wholesale services until the commission determines that competition will continue if aggregated services aren’t mandated.

Aggregated service is one type of wholesale broadband services competitors can access to utilize a larger company’s high-speed networks. The other type is disaggregated.

According to the CRTC’s website, in short, aggregated service gives competitors only a few points to connect to a larger company’s networks. This sees them heavily relying on the larger company’s network and results in higher costs to transport traffic.

Disaggregated service, on the other hand, allows competitors more flexibility in accessing the network of larger companies and allows them to choose how they want to move traffic. Disaggregated services remain mandated by the CRTC.

Mobile wireless competition

The government has directed the CRTC to create competition on the mobile wireless market by monitoring its hybrid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) model and making changes as necessary. ISED said the commission must consider a variety of factors, including how remote regions are affected when it comes to the time it takes to deploy wireless networks.

Other matters

ISED also directs the CRTC to improve the reliability of its service, consumer rights, and improve how Canadians with disabilities can access telecom series.

“We will continue to push aggressively to generate innovation, improve coverage, reduce the costs of telecommunications services for Canadians and ensure the telecom sector meets the high standard Canadians rightfully expect,” François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said in a press release.

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Mobile Syrup

The best Super Bowl LVII ads you missed because you’re in Canada

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, and it’s something football fans and non-football fans look forward to, thanks to the abundance of material not related to sports.

In 2023, this included the half-time show (aka the Rihanna concert) and everyone’s favourite, the commercials. The productions cost millions and deliver people around the world information they may or may not need. However, Canadians miss out on the commercials (thanks, Bell), so here’s a roundup of some of the finest Super Bowl commercials to grace us in 2023.

Rakuten

Clueless fans, this one’s for you. Alicia Silverstone reprises her role as Cher Horowitz to sell the benefits of Rakuten, which gives you cashback to shop at your favourite stores.

Uber One

Tasked with creating a hit jingle for the company, Diddy lets his musical talent (and the talent of many others) shine in this comedic take.

e.l.f

I know, this is a tech blog. But who doesn’t want skin as smooth as a baby dolphin? That’s what actor Jennifer Coolidge says she felt like after using the makeup brand’s primer. Coolidge is one of the greats, so this ad did no wrong in my eyes.

Kia

Kia’s ad is a peculiar one, but I can appreciate the premise. Featuring “binky dad” who forgets his baby’s favourite binky, a man goes viral for trying to retrieve it while behind the wheel of the 2023 Telluride X-Pro.

NFL

Super Bowl ads often tug at our emotional and comedic heartstrings, but NFL’s ad takes this all a little further. Featuring Diana Flores, the quarterback of Mexico’s national flag football team, the ad shows everyone, even her own mother, trying to grab her flags. While it includes many funny moments, it pushes forward the message to make football more diverse.

Of course, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez starred in a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial.

General Motors, Netflix and Will Farrell push GM’s electric vehicles in this clever ad.

Image credit: Screenshot (General Motors)

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Mobile Syrup

Opera follows Microsoft, integrates ChatGPT into its browser

Opera is the latest web browser to join the AI wars by integrating ChatGPT.

Announced in a blog post last week, Opera detailed its plans to make AI features available in the browser. First, the browser’s sidebar — which currently gives users access to online platforms like TikTok, Telegram and WhatsApp — will now give access to ChatGPT too.

Along with the sidebar feature, Opera highlighted a feature that leverages ChatGPT to summarize web content.

In the blog post, Opera said it plans to test a ‘Shorten’ button in the address bar. Clicking the button opens the ChatGPT sidebar and prompts it to generate a summary of the webpage.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Opera ChatGPT integration stacks up to Microsoft’s Edge and Bing features. After spending some hands-on time with Bing Chat — the name of Microsoft’s ChatGPT-based conversational AI — I noted that having access to up-to-date information was a major strength that helped Bing Chat feel more useful than ChatGPT.

Moreover, given the ongoing trend of adding AI features into browsers, I suspect we’ll see something come to Google Chrome in the future, assuming Google can get it together after the messy Bard reveal.

Header image credit: Opera

Source: Opera

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s latest iPhone 14 ad features former NHL players P.K. Subban and Joe Thornton

It’s rare that we at MobileSyrup cover a tech giant’s ad, but when we do, it’s always because there’s something unique about it.

Apple’s latest iPhone 14 ad features former NHL players P.K. Subban and Joe Thornton searching for Subban’s tooth on an outdoor hockey rink in the middle of nowhere with the help of the smartphone’s built-in flashlight. The ad implies that the search is only possible because of the iPhone 14’s impressive battery life, which isn’t entirely true, but it is clever.

It’s an undeniably silly 38-second ad, but it’s also still pretty funny, and it’s not often that Apple makes ads specifically targeting the Canadian market.

Check the ad out for yourself below:

P.K. Subban spent the majority of his career playing for the Montreal Canadians and officially retired in 2022.

On the other hand, Joe Thornton played most of his career for the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks, but also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020-2021 season. While Thornton has yet to officially retire, he’s 43 and is believed to be without a contract for next season.

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Mobile Syrup

CRTC chair promises timely process in response to Ministers letter

Vicky Eatrides wants to ensure federal Ministers that she will work alongside Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) staff to “meet the needs of all Canadians.”

Eatrides shared the words in response to a letter from Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne outlining the government’s priorities.

Part of the commission’s work includes getting ready to launch a public consultation examining how they can increase the resilience and reliance of telecom networks in Canada. The CRTC is also working to implement a new approach to mobile wireless services and review the framework surrounding wholesale internet.

“As Canada’s broadcasting industry is undergoing significant change, the CRTC is following legislative developments and will be ready to build the regulatory frameworks required to ensure the timely and effective implementation of Bill C-11…and Bill C-18… if adopted by Parliament,” she added.

One of the concerns outlined by the Ministers, and echoed by Canadians, is the amount of time it takes the CRTC to share decisions. Eatrides said the commission is working on addressing timeliness, accessibility, and openness.

“We will ensure that Canadians can take advantage of the new possibilities of the digital age and that no one is left behind as new technologies change our industries and lives,” Eatrides concludes.

Source: CRTC

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Mobile Syrup

Rogers and Québecor reportedly discussing domestic roaming costs: Globe and Mail

Rogers and Québecor are reportedly discussing options to reduce how much Freedom Mobile customers are charged when they roam on Rogers’ network.

According to the Globe and Mail, the organizations hope the move will win approval from Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne to create a fourth leading wireless carrier under a $2.85-billion deal.

The Minister is responsible for approving the transfer of Shaw’s wireless licenses to Québecor subsidiary Vidéotron. But the Minister previously said he’s in no hurry to approve the merger. He wants the two telecom companies to firmly commit to “maintain affordable and accessible wireless service,” the Globe previously reported.

A source told the publication Rogers and Vidéotron are discussing several “commercial issues,” such as domestic roaming rates, to meet conditions from the government. The publication reports lower prices for domestic roaming rates will help Vidéotron reduce the cost of wireless plans.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: Globe and Mail 

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how to set a primary location for your Netflix account

Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing is in full swing, and the company has now shared a date by which users need to have a primary location set for their account.

If you haven’t been keeping up with the recent changes at Netflix, here’s a quick rundown.

According to the Los Gatos, California-based streamer, it is okay for users to share passwords to their Netflix accounts within the same household, but not with people outside. And, for any reason, if you choose to share your password with users outside your household, you’ll have to pay an extra $7.99 per person. These sub-accounts will have their own profiles, personalized recommendations, logins and passwords, said Netflix in an earlier statement.

Users need to set a primary location for their account, and this is how Netflix will know if anyone is using your account from a different location and a different I.P. address. The streaming service is asking subscribers to set their primary location by Tuesday, February 21st.

How to set a primary location

To set up a primary location, you’ll have to log in to the Netflix app from a TV. The option to set the primary location doesn’t come up when using the PC/mobile Netflix app. Press the left button on your remote to bring up the app menu, and select Get Help > Manage Primary Location.

You now have to choose where to receive a verification link. You can have it sent to you by email or by text. If you have not added a phone number or email address to your account, you will only see one option.

Open the verification email/message and select ‘Review Request’ and set a primary location. According to Netflix, you will now “see a confirmation on your TV screen and receive a confirmation email. Select Continue to Netflix to start watching.”

It’s worth noting that if a primary location isn’t set by February 21st, Netflix will automatically set one for you based on IP address, device IDs, and account activity. The company also notes that “If you don’t watch Netflix on a TV or don’t have one, you do not need to set a primary location for your account.” It doesn’t make it clear if a primary location for non-TV Netflix users would be set by the company automatically, or if non-TV Netflix users can bypass the new password-sharing rule.

Source: Netflix