Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Nothing Phone (2) reported to run on yet to be announced Snapdragon chip

Carl Pei’s Nothing Phone (1) failed to make its way to Canada and the U.S. when it launched. The company recently started a U.S. Beta test, and we hope that means the device would make its way to Canada as well, at least some time in the near future.

We know that the Nothing Phone (2) will launch in the U.S. later this year. In an interview with Inverse, Pei said that the device will come later this year and that they’re “developing a smartphone that’s more premium than the Nothing Phone (1).”

Now, thanks to a new leak by MySmartPrice (via Android Police), we know a bit more about the upcoming device. The Nothing Phone (2) will run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 series chipset which is yet to be announced. The device is also expected to feature a slightly larger 5000mAh battery, in comparison to the 4500mAh battery in the Nothing Phone (1), along with 12GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage.

Just like the first-gen device, the Nothing Phone (2) would also feature a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, though it is currently unknown if the display would adapt between 60Hz and 120Hz or 1Hz to 120Hz.

Further, the Nothing Phone (2) is reported to feature virtual RAM, which will allow a portion of the device’s storage disk that double as RAM, similar to Samsung’s RAM Plus feature.

MySmartPrice says that the device would release sometime in the second half of 2023, and will be named model A065.

Source: MySmartPrice Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

PlutoTV Canada adds two new free fast channels

Los Angeles, California-based Pluto TV, which launched in Canada on December 1st, 2022, is adding two new channels to the ad-supported streaming service.

Exclusive new fast channels OUTtv Proud Shades of Black are now available with the service in Canada.

The OUTtv channel is making its worldwide debut, and serves 2SLGBTQ+ audiences “with a blend of rising stars and top talent in truly original programming.” The channel is launching with more than 400 hours of content, including an extensive collection of original series, documentaries, films and specials, specially made to “entertain, advocate for and galvanize global queer audiences.”

On the other hand, the Shades of Black channel celebrates Black Culture, offering an exclusive collection of studio and independent films, scripted and reality series, powerful documentaries, and specials that represent the global Black culture and community, right in time for Black History Month.

“This partnership speaks to our commitment, while also enhancing Pluto TV’s already vast channel lineup. We are proud to expand our library of hit shows and films to offer these new channels — OUTtv Proud and Shades of Black — exclusively to Canadians, completely free,” said said Katrina Kowalski, vice president of content, Pluto TV and Paramount+ in Canada.

PlutoTV is free to use/watch, and as a tradeoff, includes ads. The service is available now at www.pluto.tv and via the PlutoTV app for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, Samsung and LG devices, and via mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play.

Source: PlutoTV

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Mobile Syrup

The Last of Us Episode 5 to premiere early on Crave due to Super Bowl

HBO has announced that it is moving up the premiere of the fifth episode of The Last of Us to avoid conflicting with the Super Bowl.

Normally, new episodes of the hit post-apocalyptic drama series drop on Sundays at 9pm ET, which would overlap with the big game on February 12th. Now, The Last of Us Episode 5 will arrive on Friday, February 10th at 9pm ET. Bell has confirmed that it will begin streaming at the same time on its Crave platform in Canada. Otherwise, the remaining episodes of The Last of Us will stream each Sunday at 9pm ET.

The Last of Us has had a strong momentum since premiering on January 15th, landing HBO its second-biggest series debut after House of the Dragon. This has resulted in the network quickly renewing the show for a second season, which will adapt The Last of Us Part II.

In Canada, specifically, The Last of Us has generated a lot of buzz for filming in Alberta. With a reported budget of over $100 million USD (about $135 million CAD), the show is believed to be the biggest TV production in Canadian history.

The cast and crew of the show have also raved about filming in Alberta, with stars Pedro Pascal and Bella specifically shouting out places like Canmore and High River in an interview with MobileSyrup. The series’ production designer even said he was surprised at how “clean” the province ended up being. Travel Alberta has also created an interactive map to let you view exact filming locations from the series.

Image credit: HBO

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Mobile Syrup

CRTC says its website and phone lines are down

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) says its website, phone lines, and applications are unavailable.

It’s unclear what the cause of the outage is. MobileSyrup will provide more information once it’s available.

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Mobile Syrup

Ministers Rodriguez and Champagne outline new CRTC chair’s expectations in letter

As the new head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Vicky Eatrides has a long list of responsibilities, and two federal Ministers want to cement the fact.

In a letter to Eatrides, Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez and Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne listed a number of issues they say are vital for Eatrides to accomplish her mandate.

Listed towards the beginning of the letter are references to Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, and Bill C-18, the Online News Act. If passed, the CRTC will govern them, giving the regulatory body additional powers.

“Our leadership, and that of the CRTC more broadly, will be critical to ensuring that new legislation is implemented effectively,” the letter states. “Practical and workable regulations can ensure policy goals are met while maintaining Canadians’ online experience and ensuring everyone can participate in and benefit from an increasingly digital culture and society.”

The Ministers further state their concerns on a number of issues weighing the CRTC down, namely how long it takes the CRTC to make decisions, how accessible their practices are to the public, and transparency.

“Public interest decision making requires hearing from diverse interests. Right now, there is a perception among many that access to CRTC processes is unequal,” the Ministers write. “While the regulator’s open and evidence-based processes are a core strength, barriers to participation remain.”

The letter also states the CRTC should continue reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples by working together on policies that may affect them “in a spirit of recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.”

The telecom industry also needs improvement, the letter states, and a proposed new policy direction for the organization will help guide them. Addressing competition and affordability, the Ministers say the CRTC should ensure wholesale internet services are “used, supervised, and adjusted effectively and in a timely manner.”

Wholesale internet services are something Eatrides has promised to change. In an interview with MobileSyrup, Eatrides said the CRTC will share a new model with Canadians “within the coming months.”

“It’s a top priority for the organization because what we’ve done is not working,” she said.

Source: Canadian Heritage 

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Mobile Syrup

Fitbit experiencing outage, sync and other services not working

Fitbit appears to be down right now, causing sync issues and missing data on both the Android and iOS apps.

Currently, if you open the Fitbit app, some stats should be missing or showing incomplete data. Moreover, trying to sync generally leads to an error, including for those rocking Google’s fancy new Pixel Watch.

9to5Google noted that the ‘My Dashboard’ website is down too, but Fitbit’s shop is still up and running.

The website Downdetector shows the outage is fairly widespread throughout Canada, with outage reports spiking around shortly after 8am ET this morning. Reports appear to have peaked around 10:12am, though the outage is ongoing.

Fitbit’s support account tweeted that it’s aware of the issue and is working to resolve it. However, it remains unclear what caused the outage in the first place.

Source: Fitbit Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Apple could launch higher-end iPhone ‘Ultra’ in 2024

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is back at it again.

Backing up earlier rumours with new information, Gurman says that next year Apple could have plans to release a new ‘iPhone 16 Ultra’ tier iPhone that sits above its ‘Pro’ and ‘Pro Max’ high-end smartphones. Gurman previously reported this rumour several months ago, but at the time, said that the Ultra would replace the Max iPhone variant in Apple’s Pro line.

This would make the tech giant’s iPhone offerings similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S series line, which has offered a more expensive Ultra tier alongside its standard and ‘+’ smartphones for the past several years.

As you may have already guessed, the Ultra-level iPhone will cost more than the Max, which currently starts at $1,549 for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This means that the high-end device could cost in the range of $1800 and $2000 in Canada, moving it close to the cost of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 4 ($2,229.99).

It’s unclear what new feature the Ultra will offer over the Max, but in the past, we’ve seen reports that it could feature two selfie cameras and a different design to better separate it from the rest of Apple’s iPhone lineup.

Source: Bloomberg

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung top executive waited until 11 to give his daughter a phone

A higher-up at Samsung has said that he did not give his daughter a phone until she was 11, as shared in a BBC report.

James Kitto, vice president head of the MX (Mobile eXperience) Division for the U.K. and Ireland, told BBC’s “Today” radio show Friday, February 3rd. “I personally wouldn’t have given her one early, but it is a parental decision as to when you should get your child a phone.”

Kitto took over the role at Samsung in December 2022, before which, he served as the vice president of sales and sales director at Samsung. “What is important here is that, whoever is using a smartphone, of whatever age, is safe when they are surfing and browsing the internet,” said Kitto. “From my personal perspective, my daughter got a smartphone when she was 11.”

Kitto doesn’t say that 11 is the golden age for kids to start using smartphones. According to him, no matter what age you give your kids a smartphone, it is important for your to ensure that if they are accessing the internet with the phone, they must access it in a safe way.

It is not uncommon for parents to be handing over smartphones to children younger than 11. According to a 2021 Common Sense Media study, more than two-fifths (42 percent of the studied subjects) of children have their own phones by the age of ten. That is especially concerning when you consider that just last week, the Children’s Commissioner for England published a survey where it asked 16 to 21-year-olds when they first saw pornography. By age nine, 10 percent of the survey respondents had seen porn, and 27 percent had seen it by age 11.

According to Statista, in Canada, 39 percent of children aged between two and six years in Canada were reported to use a mobile phone. Half of the respondents aged between seven and 11 years were reported to have a mobile device of their own.

A majority, if not all, mobile phones come with parental controls that allow you to limit your young ones’ screen time, app usage, and set content and privacy restrictions. Read more about it here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: BBC News

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Mobile Syrup

Uber relaunches ride share program under new name

WARSAW/POLAND – APRIL 30, 2019: View on Uber car (Skoda) with inscription on the street before sunset

Uber customers now have a more affordable, albeit familiar, option to pick from when choosing a ride.

Under UberX Share, riders in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal can cut the cost of their ride by sharing it with others. Uber previously offered the program under UberPool but paused it in 2020 due to the rise of COVID-19.

Under the revamped program, riders will save upto 20 percent through an “upfront discount,” with an additional five percent if they have a Uber One membership.

“We know affordability plays a role when people are making decisions on how to get from point A to B,” Michael van Hemmen, general manager of Uber Canada Mobility, said. “This new shared rides option will provide a more affordable and sustainable experience for riders and the cities we serve.”

The company says drivers will have a similar experience to UberX, earning the “same recommended rates.” However, with more riders, the trip will likely be longer, leading to a larger fare. The company is also offering drivers a $1 incentive when they pick up a second rider.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: Uber

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Mobile Syrup

Save up to $200 on Pixel, Pixel Watch, other products on Google Store

Although Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 series is stealing the headlines right now, those shopping for a new phone and who don’t want an S23 might want to consider Google’s Pixel phones, which are currently on sale (alongside several of the company’s accessories).

Currently, the Canadian Google Store has the Pixel 7, 7 Pro, Watch, Buds Pro and Chromecast with Google TV on sale:

If the Google Store isn’t your jam, Amazon also has some Google phones discounted:

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