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Ice Wireless discounting endless, prepaid, and home phone plans for Black Friday

Ice Wireless will offer discounted phone plans on Black Friday.

Customers can get $15 off/month on their endless, prepaid, or home phone plans for 12 months.

The offers start on November 24th and end on the 28th. Customers will need to sign up for pre-authorized payment to redeem the discounts.

More information will be available on icewireless.com starting November 23rd.

A round-up of all MobileSyrup’s Black Friday deals can be found here. All of the top deals at Canadian retailers are available here.

Image credit: Ice Wireless

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Deus Ex Go will become unplayable in January, even if you bought it

Fan-favourite mobile game Deus Ex Go will no longer be playable as of January 4th, 2023, developer Onoma has confirmed.

The announcement was made by publisher Embracer via the official Twitter account for the now-defunct studio, formerly known as Square Enix Montreal.

Released in 2016, Deus Ex Go — alongside 2014’s Hitman Go and 2015’s Lara Croft Go — was a well-received puzzle mobile take on the iconic sci-fi series. Additionally, three other Onoma games will become inaccessible on January 4th: Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, the team’s final game, as well as Arena Battle Champions and Space Invaders: Hidden Heroes.

All four games will also be removed from the App Store and Google Play Store on December 1st. Embracer also says to use any in-app purchases you’ve made before January 4th, as they won’t be refunded.

Often, single-player games that are removed from digital storefronts will at least remain playable if they’re downloaded before the shutdown. It’s unclear why Embracer is opting to make the four Onoma titles completely unavailable, but it’s unfortunately another reminder that you don’t truly “own” digital games, as well as another example of the gaming industry’s preservation issues.

Overall, Onoma was dealt a rough hand. When Embracer acquired the Canadian team as part of a larger purchase of Square Enix studios, it soon rebranded — “Onoma” being Greek for “name” — as a first step to forge a new identity. However, Embracer shuttered the studio a mere three weeks later, shocking everyone. When celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, Square Enix Montreal was looking ahead to both Hitman Sniper and a mysterious AR-based Space Invaders game.

Per Bloomberg, some Onoma employees have been shifted over to sister Embracer team Eidos Montreal, the developer of last year’s acclaimed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. However, it’s unclear how many of the roughly 200 Onoma employees have been laid off.

Embracer, meanwhile, has been on an acquisition spree, most notably buying the IP rights to none other than J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings earlier this year.

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Mobile Syrup

Musk blames activists for his lie about Twitter’s moderation council

Hey, remember when Elon Musk promised to form a content moderation council with “widely diverse viewpoints” before making any major content decisions or account reinstatements on Twitter, and then not even a month later, let former U.S. President Donald Trump and other controversial figures back onto the platform? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Whether or not Musk remembered, he was reminded of that promise on Twitter last night. His excuse? Activists.

“A large coalition of political/social activist groups agreed not to try to kill Twitter by starving us of advertising revenue if I agreed to this condition,” Musk tweeted. “They broke the deal.”

Musk’s tweet about Twitter activists, preserved as a screenshot in case he deletes it. You can view the tweet here.

Musk previously blamed activists for a “massive drop in revenue,” claiming they pressured advertisers to pull out of Twitter. Musk’s tweet was then fact-checked by Twitter, linking to several publications that reported advertisers were pausing Twitter campaigns over uncertainty around Musk, the platform’s direction, and concerns over content moderation.

Since then, Musk’s failed paid verification scheme sparked rampant impersonation of brands and high-profile accounts, and more advertisers marked Twitter as a “high risk” platform.

So to set things straight, Musk made several rash, controversial decisions that spooked advertisers, advertisers started pulling out of Twitter, Musk made up a story about activists trying to destroy Twitter rather than accept responsibility for his actions, then doubled down on those actions and scared off more advertisers. Then, Musk used that made-up situation as the reason he allowed controversial accounts to return to Twitter.

Musk reinstated several Twitter accounts on November 18th, including comedian Kathy Griffin, right-wing parody outlet The Babylon Bee, and author Jordan Peterson (it’s worth noting the latter two accounts weren’t technically banned, just locked). Musk banned Griffin after she impersonated Musk’s Twitter account to mock him. However, The Babylon Bee and Peterson were both locked for tweets that misgendered trans people.

The following day, Musk ran a Twitter poll asking if Trump’s account should be reinstated. Then, based on the poll results and with no mention of the moderation council, Musk announced Trump would return. Humorously, Trump declined to return.

Oh, and if there was any thought Musk might actually listen to a content moderation council, Musk cleared that up. Per The Verge’s Alex Heath, Musk told Twitter employees at a Q&A about the moderation council that, “This is an advisory council. I will hear what they have to say and I will either agree with it or I won’t.”

You can read MobileSyrup’s ongoing coverage of the turmoil at Twitter here.

Source: @elonmusk Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Musk refuses to pay Twitter executives’ backlogged travel expenses

A new report from the New York Times suggests Elon Musk is now refusing to pay “hundreds of thousands” of dollars in travel bills racked up by Twitter executives before he took over the platform.

Musk’s staff commented that the travel expenses were authorized by the former Twitter management, and not by him, and hence, the company has ghosted travel vendors, and is avoiding their calls.

The total amount of money owed to travel vendors is currently unknown.

The company has been on a cost-cutting spree since Musk’s takeover. It laid off roughly half of its workforce earlier this month, only to realize that it needs some essential workers to join back. At the time, Musk said that Twitter was losing over $4 million USD (about $5.4 million CAD) per day and that reducing the company’s workforce was the only way to go.

The employees that remained were asked to show technical documentation to justify the work they do at Twitter and to prove their value to the company.

Subsequently, despite prior job cuts, Bloomberg announced on Monday, November 21st, that Musk is considering laying off employees in the sales and partnerships teams.

All of this is a result of the company losing money consistently. In a recent staff meeting at Twitter, Musk said that Twitter is currently losing so much money that “bankruptcy is not out of the question.” Big time advertisers are also leaving Twitter, calling the platform “high risk.” It’s evident that the platform can’t sustain itself, and Musk’s new $9.99 Twitter Blue with verification might not prove to be enough.

The latest news on Twitter and Musk can be found here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: New York Times

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how to access free data while travelling to the U.S.

Canadians travelling to the U.S. might have access to free data through T-Mobile.

The American telecom company is offering users three months of unlimited data. Called the ‘Network Pass,’ the free trial allows people to keep their current phone and carrier while testing out T-Mobile’s service.

A 5G compatible, unlocked eSIM-capable phone is required. Users will experience slower speeds at times if they use more than 50GB a month. The slower speeds will last until the new billing cycle begins due to data prioritization.

Apple and Android users can access the service.

You can download T-Mobile’s app on the App Store and Google Play.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Thanks, Goozy1!

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Mobile Syrup

Here are some phones confirmed to launch with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Qualcomm recently announced its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset at its Snapdragon Summit, and now, some Android manufacturers confirmed they will add the new CPU to their smartphones.

According to 9to5Google, a few OEMs have confirmed that they’ll have the chipset, while others are expected to feature the flagship processor. It’s worth noting that most devices on this list won’t come to Canada, unfortunately.

Vivo has already launched the first smartphone using this chipset, the X90 Pro Plus. However, this phone will not come out in Canada. In a recent Weibo post, OnePlus confirmed that the 11 series will sport the Qualcomm silicon.

Xiaomi has also said on Weibo that its 13 series will sport the 8 Gen 2 chip as well. Motorola has teased its new X40 with a new phone silhouette on Weibo and confirmed that it will sport the chipset.

RedMagic also confirmed on Weibo that the RedMagic 8 Pro will also use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. IQ00, another brand, has also been confirmed via the China-based social media site to feature the processor.

Out of all the phones above, only OnePlus’ devices will come to Canada.

Samsung hasn’t said whether this phone will sport the new chipset; however, each year, its S series always launches with the latest Qualcomm processor in North America.

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Mercedes limits speed behind $1,200 USD subscription

Mercedes has joined the bandwagon of terrible car-based subscription plans alongside the likes of BMW’s heated seats, in-car nav and Siris XM radio.

The new Mercedes ‘Acceleration Increasse’ subscription costs $1,200 USD (roughly $1,607 CAD) annually and shaves 0.8-0.9 seconds off the car’s 0-60 mph time in Dynamic mode. This subscription unlocks more power already available in the Mercedes-EQ EQE and the EQS electric vehicles.

The update page on Mercedes’ website suggests that the upgrade will come to all EQS EVs the company sells, but the “performance boost at a glance” section only mentions the 350 and 450 trim lines. The more expensive, and faster, EQS 580 isn’t on the list. This suggests the subscription brings the slower models up to par with the flagship, but even that isn’t the case.

The top-of-the-line 580 has a 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds. The slower 450 can only be upgraded to hit a maximum speed of 4.9 seconds. So if you care about speed, you’d still need to shell out the cash for the 580 anyway. In Canada, the 580 is the only trim model Mercedes sells, so Canadians won’t have to worry about this yet, but I’d expect pricing like this to show up soon.

This update is strange not only because it just unlocks something already in the car, but because it’s such a minimal upgrade. Sure more torque is fun, but the cars already have rapid acceleration, so charging over $1,000 to get just under a second shaved off your drag time seems like the most foolish investment ever. Maybe if you loved taking your EV to the dragstrip, you’d shell out for it, but the market the Mercedes targets seems less interested in quarter mile times.

The upgrades are also worded to sound like it changes the driving characteristics of the car and more interestingly, might allow drivers to adjust their own “motor characteristic curve, torque and maximum output.”

Source: Mercedes

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Mobile Syrup

Shaw’s financial officer says Roger’ merger needed to help it compete

Rogers’ plans to merge with Shaw will offer the latter company a lifeline to compete effectively, the Competition Tribunal’s hearing into the merger was told Monday.

Trevor English, Shaw’s chief financial officer, said the company didn’t see a path forward as a standalone company and consolidating within the telecom sector was something they thought about before, he said.

“We’ve really felt like the best outcome for all constituents was a partnership and a sale to a strategic operator that has the operational scale to effectively compete in the future,” English said during his testimony.

Shaw entered the wireless market through the purchase of Wind Mobile in 2016. The company was later rebranded to Freedom Mobile. English said the company has had difficulty competing with Telus in Western Canada.

The hearing is currently in its third week and will conclude next month. The panel will deliver its decision in January.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Via: Bloomberg

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Mobile Syrup

Public Mobile now offering $35/mo 20GB plan

Telus’ Public Mobile rolled out new Black Friday plans that are more in line with offers from other providers.

First and foremost is a new $55/mo plan with 20GB of 4G data. However, customers can reduce it to $35/mo for 15 months with promo code ’20OFFMONTHLY.’ That brings the plan in line with some of the in-store offers available from other providers.

Beyond the excellent $35/20GB deal, there are a few other plans, although some have been thoroughly eclipsed by newer, better deals:

  • $40/mo 15GB + 12GB bonus for 12 months
  • $50/mo 8GB + 12GB bonus for 12 months
  • $60/mo 15GB + 12GB bonus for 12 months
  • $80/mo 25GB + 12GB bonus for 12 months
  • $90/mo 40GB + 12GB bonus for 12 months

Most of those aren’t significantly different from before, save for the $40/mo 15GB + 12GB bonus plan. With 27GB of 4G data for 12 months, it’s one of the best overall plans out there for people who don’t need 5G data (and to be honest, it will still be a little while before most Canadian truly benefit from 5G).

Check out Public’s refreshed plans here.

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Mobile Syrup

How to watch Canada vs. Belgium in the 2022 FIFA World Cup today

Team Canada is set to play its first FIFA World Cup 2022 Group Stage game against Belgium today, Wednesday, November 23rd.

Belgium is the second favourite, behind Brazil, to take home the cup, and intend to show off their prowess at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, today.

Team Canada’s star forward Alphonso Davies suffered a hamstring strain during a game for his club Bayern Munich on November 6th, and hasn’t played since. According to Team Canada’s coach John Herdman, he wants Davies to play, especially considering team Belgium’s calibre, but also doesn’t want to put him at risk. “My mission is to make sure he plays at this World Cup, it’s a childhood dream for him,” said Herdman in a statement given to CBC News. “And not to put him in a position where he’s unsafe”

“But I have to say Belgium’s another level, we haven’t faced a team of that level since we played against Brazil. So you need players like Alphonso, whether that’s starting, [or] off the bench.

Similarly, FC Porto and team Canada’s midfielder Stephen Eustaquio is dealing with soreness from a “muscle issue” suffered in training earlier last week.

The last time the two teams met for an international fixture was a friendly game in Ottawa in June of 1989, where Belgium beat team Canada 2-0.

How to watch

The matchup between Canada and Belgium is set to take place at 1:45pm ET/10:45am PT today at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

Those with a cable connection with access to TSN 1, TSN 3, TSN 4, or TSN 5 can watch the game directly on their TVs in English, while those with RDS can watch the game live in French.

If you feel like watching the game on a different device, you can head to the TSN website or the RDS website and login with your cable credentials to stream online.

In case you do not have a cable connection, you can still watch team Canada battle it out with the  number 2 ranked squad by subscribing to either TSN Direct on RDS Direct, depending on your language preference. Find subscription plans and pricing info below:

  • Monthly Pass: Gives you access to TSN for a month from the date of subscription. The plan is billed monthly, and automatically renews every month. The plan costs $19.99 + tax.
  • Four-month Pass: Gives you access to TSN for four months from the date of subscription. The plan is prepaid, and is billed as a one-time payment for four months. Automatically renews every four months. The plan costs $49.96 + tax for the four months.
  • Annual Pass: Gives you access to TSN for a year from the date of subscription. The plan is prepaid, and is billed as a one-time payment for the year. Automatically renews annually. The plan costs $119.90 + tax for the full year.

Click here to subscribe to TSN Direct.

Click here to subscribe to RDS Direct.

Squads

Canada

Goalkeepers:

  • Milan Borjan
  • James Pantemis
  • Dayne St. Clair

Defenders:

  • Sam Adekugbe
  • Derek Cornelius
  • Steven Vitoria
  • Joel Waterman
  • Alistair Johnston
  • Richie Laryea
  • Kamal Miller

Midfielders:

  • Stephen Eustaquio
  • Liam Fraser
  • Jonathan Osorio
  • Samuel Piette
  • David Wotherspoon
  • Atiba Hutchinson
  • Mark-Anthony Kaye
  • Ismael Kone

Forwards:

  • Tajon Buchanan
  • Lucas Cavallini
  • Junior Hoillett
  • Cyle Larin
  • Jonathan David
  • Alphonso Davies
  • Liam Miller
  • Ike Ugbo

Belgium

Goalkeepers:

  • Thibaut Courtois
  • Simon Mignolet
  • Koen Casteels

Defenders:

  • Toby Alderweireld
  • Jan Vertonghen
  • Zeno Debast
  • Leander Dendoncker
  • Wout Faes
  • Arthur Theate

Midfielders:

  • Thomas Meunier
  • Timothy Castagne
  • Thorgan Hazard
  • Kevin De Bruyne
  • Axel Witsel
  • Youri Tielemans
  • Amadou Onana
  • Hans Vanaken
  • Yannick Carrasco

Forwards

  • Eden Hazard
  • Leandro Trossard
  • Romelu Lukaku
  • Michy Batshuayi
  • Charles De Ketelaere
  • Lois Openda
  • Jeremy Doku
  • Dries Mertens

Image credit: Shutterstock