Google has officially unveiled the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro and the Pixel Watch. At its product fall event, I went hands-on with all three devices though I spent most of the time with the two phones.
First, let’s get to the pricing: the Pixel 7 starts at $799 and the Pixel 7 Pro starts at $1,179. This is similar pricing to what we saw last year with the Pixel 6 series. The Wi-Fi-only Pixel Watch starts at $449. The smartphones and the watch are available to pre-order now and release on October 13th.
One of the highlights of the Pixel 7 Pro is that it features 5x optical zoom. This is a first for the Pixel and beats the likes of the iPhone 14 Pro, but loses to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 10x zoom. And with Super Res zoom, the phone uses its Tensor G2 and its 48-megapixel telephoto to snap super detailed shots. Further, thanks to the power of its new chip, Google says the Pixel 7 Pro can take stellar shots at 2x, 10x and 30x zoom as well.
As someone who uses the Pixel 6 Pro regularly, I probably wouldn’t have pre-ordered the new Pixel 7 or 7 Pro. However, if I had a Pixel 5 or Pixel 4 XL, I’d consider it.
We want to know if you pre-ordered the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro or Pixel Watch, and if you have, which device? MobileSyrup is also running a contest to give away a Pixel 7 Pro to one lucky winner, so if you didn’t pre-order the device, but still want one, you should definitely enter.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro sounds impressive. Very impressive.
Compared to top-end earbuds like Google’s Pixel Buds Pro and OnePlus’ Buds Pro, Samsung’s buds are compelling, but they’re likely still not the best option for most.
This year’s Samsung high-end wireless earbud offering is rock solid, but the company might be doing itself an injustice by trying to replicate AirPods-like features within the Samsung ecosystem. The company needs to step back and realize that its ecosystem isn’t as locked down as Apple’s, and small features like this are often just as much of a deterrent as they are a selling feature.
That said, when the music is pumping, there aren’t many situations where the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro disappoint, and that’s what we’re all here for anyway.
A step up in Samsung’s sound
Samsung has been cranking out above-average-sounding earbuds since it purchased AKG and released the Galaxy Buds+ in 2020. As expected, the new Galaxy Buds 2 Pro continues the legacy of great-sounding buds and are the best yet.
Compared to the existing Galaxy Buds 2, the clarity is a step above and blew me away when I first tested them. The new two-way speaker and enhanced woofer do a good job of providing balance to such a small unit. The bass kick is satisfying, and the vocals are always clear.
The buds’ soundscape also offers great stereo separation. I found myself getting lost in the music easily, partly because of the realistic sound reproduction but also because the ANC (active noise-cancelling) blocks out every annoying sound in my office. You can still hear some noises when you have nothing playing, but once the music kicks in, it provides a very isolating listening experience.
These noticeable audio upgrades are slotted in alongside a natural sound profile that audiophiles will be happy to listen to. If you want to dive into the deep end of wireless earbuds audio graphs, you can learn more in this video from Crinicle+.
Samsung’s marketing for the earbuds hypes up the fact that they can transmit 24-bit audio, but that only works with Samsung phones and most music streaming services charge extra for that, so it’s not something most people really need to worry about. I tested these earbuds on a Pixel 6, OnePlus 10 Pro and a MacBook Pro, and they sounded great on those devices playing regular music on Spotify with the highest streaming quality.
The perks and fallbacks
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come with Samsung’s excellent wireless earbuds case that fits nicely into most pockets, but this year the case and buds feature a grippier texture that feels awesome, but is a bit harder to slide in and out of tight pockets.
The best software feature these buds offer is Samsung’s ‘Conversation mode,’ which disables ANC when you start talking and smartly re-enables it afterward. This is the same feature that was offered in the last Galaxy Buds Pro. It’s cool and works well for short chats. More extended conversations introduce dead air and moments for the ANC to re-enable. However, talking again will bring them back into transparency mode, and I found this feature extremely helpful. It sounds inconsequential, but not having to take out your earbuds and pause your music to ask a quick question is extremely convenient.
A fairly limited equalizer allows you to choose from some preset sound profiles like ‘Bass boost,’ ‘Dynamic,’ and more. I was so impressed with the default tuning that I stuck with it for most of my listening, but it’s nice to have a few options. It would be cool to see Samsung start to let users adjust the EQ with more granularity since that seems like the next step for this feature.
If you use a Samsung phone, tablet, smartwatch or computer, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pros will also seamlessly connect to your devices, which is a significant plus for these buds since connecting and using them with more than one non-Samsung device is a hassle. Samsung says you can touch and hold on both buds at the same time when they’re in your ears to pair them, but this doesn’t work when the buds are already paired to something, so it’s pretty much useless. This is also an issue I notice with the standard Galaxy Buds 2, and one I’m blown away with, considering it has made it through this many generations of earbuds.
That means to put the buds into pairing mode, you need to simply open the case. The same action also connects them to the last device they were paired with.
This means if you want to pair with your phone, for example, and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are already connected to your computer, you need to turn off Bluetooth on your PC so they won’t auto-pair to it when you open them. On the contrary, most wireless earbuds have a button on the buds or the case that can trigger Bluetooth pairing. Samsung does have one, but for some reason, it doesn’t work.
In the end, this is a huge flaw and made using the buds daily for work at my desk, and then with my phone on a bike ride after work, an incredibly frustrating experience. If I lived in Samsung’s ecosystem, it would be fine, but as someone with a Mac and an Android phone, this makes them too annoying to recommend, even if they sound great.
The other issue with these buds is the price. Sure, they sound a bit better and offer stronger ANC than the regular Galaxy Buds 2, but they cost a lot more. At $120, the standard Galaxy Buds 2 are a great deal, but at $289, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pros are a tough sell. Moreover, the high price makes it more annoying when they fail to work.
Compared to the Buds 2, the new Buds 2 Pros do feature a few notable improvements, including stronger IPX7 water resistance compared to IPX2 in the non-pro models. Samsung says you can submerge the new buds for up to 30 minutes in shallow fresh water, but swimming with them is not recommended. That said, enhanced protection from sweat, rain and the odd spill is always welcome.
On top of that, the buds also don’t have a very good internal microphone. It’s passable, but compared to AirPods, Google Pixel Buds Pros and even Beats Fit Pros, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro’s mic is the worst of the bunch. You can listen to a full microphone test here.
Every week, MobileSyrup outlines some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video, Crave and Netflix, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ are mentioned when relevant. Premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms are also fair game as movies continue to come to digital early amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finally, we’ll highlight shows or movies that are made by Canadian companies, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Amazon Prime Video
Catherine Called Birdy [Amazon Original]
In the 13th century, a teenager rebels against her father when he tries to marry her off to a wealthy man.
Based on the 1994 novel of the same name, Catherine Called Birdy was written and directed by Lena Dunham (Girls) and stars Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones), Andrew Scott (Sherlock), Billie Piper (Doctor Who) and Joe Alwyn (The Favourite).
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: October 7th, 2022 Genre: Medieval comedy Runtime: 1 hour, 48 minutes
Mat Whitecross (Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond) directs this documentary on the history of iconic music in the James Bond film series, starting with the theme of 1962’s Dr. No and going all the way up to Billie Eilish’s song for 2021’s No Time To Die. James Bond stars like Daniel Craig and Rami Malek are also featured.
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: October 5th, 2022 Genre: Documentary Runtime: 1 hour, 28 minutes
The full list of movies and shows hitting Amazon Prime Video Canada this month can be found here.
Apple TV+
The Problem with Jon Stewart [Apple Original]
Comedian Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) takes a look at a new set of issues, including facing off against Arkansas’ attorney general about trans rights.
Apple TV+ Canada release date: October 7th, 2022 (first episode, new episodes every Friday) Genre: Current affairs, comedy Runtime: Six episodes (around one hour each)
The full list of what’s coming to Apple TV+ Canada this month can be found here.
Crave
Prince Andrew: Banished
Through a slew of interviews, Jamie Crawford (The Hunt for Ted Bundy) unpacks the fall of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who disgraced the British Royal Family by getting involved in a sex trafficking scandal.
Elmo’s new adopted puppy, Tango, joins the Street, while special guests include tennis star Naomi Osaki, poet Amanda Gorman and singer-songwriter Billie Eilish.
A standard Crave subscription is priced at $19.99/month, with Starz costing an additional $5.99/month. A mobile-only subscription is also available for $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Crave this month can be found here.
Disney+
Werewolf by Night [Disney+ Original]
This first-ever Marvel Cinematic Universe “Special Presentation” takes the franchise in a darker, black-and-white direction with a story about a secret group of monster hunters who are thrust into a deadly game.
Notably, prolific composer Michael Giacchino (who scored four Marvel movies, the MCU Spider-Man trilogy and Thor: Love and Thunder) serves as director of Werewolf by Night. Gael García Bernal (Old), Laura Donnelly (The Nevers) and Harriet Sansom Harris (Frazier) star.
Disney+ Canada release date: October 7th, 2022 Genre: Horror special Runtime: 53 minutes
The full list of movies and shows hitting Disney+ Canada this month can be found here.
Netflix
Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes [Netflix Original]
Directed by Joe Berlinger (Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes), this docuseries features unguarded interviews with infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
Netflix Canada release date: October 7th, 2022 Genre: True crime documentary Runtime: Three episodes (58 to 61 minutes each)
Stream Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapeshere.
Hasan Minhaj: The King’s Jester [Netflix Original]
Comedian Hasan Minhaj riffs on fatherhood, fertility and freedom of speech.
In a hospice for terminally ill teens, one group makes a pact that the first to die must send a sign from beyond the grave.
Created by Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass) and Leah Fong (The Haunting of Bly Manor), The Midnight Club stars Iman Benson (BlackAF), Igby Rigney (F9: The Fast Saga), Ruth Codd (debut role), Vancouver’s Aya Furukawa (The Terror), Adia (debut role) and Heather Langencamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street).
It’s worth noting that like Mike Flanagan’s other Netflix productions, The Midnight Club was filmed in B.C.
Netflix Canada release date: October 7th, 2022 Genre: Teen horror Runtime: 10 episodes (49 to 58 minutes each)
In this documentary, Jon Weinbach (The Last Dance) tells the remarkable comeback story of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball team, featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Mike Krzyzewski and the late Kobe Bryant.
The Trapped 13: How We Survived the Thai Cave [Netflix Original]
From Pailin Wedel (Operation Thailand) comes this documentary spotlighting members of the famous youth soccer team that was trapped in a Thai cave in 2018.
But I’m not here to say “I told you so” to all of my haters, nor am I looking to celebrate Stadia’s death. On the contrary — I wish things turned out differently. First and foremost, I’m certainly not happy about the employees and developers who were blindsided by this news, especially those who were still making games and features for the platform. Some of them don’t even know if they’re going to get paid, and that’s awful. I’m also all for giving consumers more choices, and Stadia did just that.
“So, here’s to Stadia: a technologically impressive, extremely mismanaged and utterly fascinating gaming platform.”
And even as I’ve been critical of the platform, I’ve also acknowledged its strengths. The core technology is sound, the controller is solid, and the ability to game without dedicated hardware is convenient. Moreover, I’ve always been a big proponent of streaming, and I’ve praised both Xbox and PlayStation for their measured approaches to the technology. But that was all let down by Stadia’s inherently flawed conceit as a platform centred around streaming games you predominantly had to buy à la carte. It banked on people being content with a platform that only allowed you to stream, in a market in which streaming is still novel. Xbox and PlayStation, meanwhile, give you the ability to stream, download or use physical discs. Even Nvidia GeForce Now, a cloud-only platform, lets you stream games you’ve purchased from other storefronts, which expands its catalogue significantly beyond Stadia’s relatively meagre library.
Google Shuts Down Stadia, Shocking Gamers Who Assumed They’d Already Done Thathttps://t.co/YLuxum52uH
Stadia’s core foundation, however, is something I hope people build on. “We see clear opportunities to apply this technology across other parts of Google like YouTube, Google Play, and our Augmented Reality (AR) efforts — as well as make it available to our industry partners, which aligns with where we see the future of gaming headed,” Stadia boss Phil Harrison — a perplexing man who continues to fail at every company he’s worked for — wrote in a blog post about Stadia’s demise. I don’t have a lot of faith about how Google might salvage some of Stadia’s tech under Harrison, but I’d love to be wrong. In any case, the potential is there. I’ve said it before, but I always think back to hypothetical Stadia use cases proposed by Canadian games producer and former Stadia exec Jade Raymond, which include Stadia-powered interactive YouTube documentaries or Duplex-boosted NPC dialogue. It’s that sort of out-of-the-box, cross-platform thinking that could be truly innovative.
But even if Google itself doesn’t want to do anything itself with Stadia, I hope it continues to use the tech to help other companies. It’s already been selling Stadia tech to companies like Capcom, which has rather cleverly used it to let people stream a Resident Evil Village demo from their browsers. That’s to say nothing of developers like Bungie that found Stadia’s infrastructure to be an asset during remote development amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidently, Stadia doesn’t have to be a gaming platform itself to actually achieve success. Google refocusing its Stadia efforts on licensing and other partnerships, rather than selling games themselves, makes much more sense. A big reason why events like the Game Developers Conference are so important is that they give game makers a chance to share knowledge, and, in turn, help the broader industry, and hopefully, Google can do something similar with Stadia. A rising tide, as they say, lifts all boats.
Being able to play a demo for a big game like Resident Evil Village right out of a browser is wickedly cool. Image credit: Google
This is all just for the foreseeable future, too, mind you. As more companies push towards streaming and the technology continues to improve, it’s easy to envision cloud-based platforms becoming heavily adopted. In fact, we’re already seeing that happen. Newzoo, a reputable analytics firm, just published a report detailing how the games industry is set to generate approximately $2.4 billion USD (about $3.3 billion CAD) in cloud revenue this year.
On the one hand, that’s not much when you consider it’s set to make an estimated $200 billion USD (about $274 billion CAD) this year, which shows the market’s clearly not where Google wanted it to be for Stadia. But it’s also a 74 percent increase year-over-year, and represents about 31.7 million consumers paying for cloud gaming. Therefore, it’s in companies’ best interest to further invest in this space, and learning from Stadia’s mistakes and leveraging its considerable technology will only help with that.
So, here’s to Stadia: a technologically impressive, extremely mismanaged and utterly fascinating gaming platform. There’s never quite been anything like it, for better and worse, and hopefully, it can help pave the way for better offerings.
On behalf of SMS and all of our partners, thank you to the fans for supporting us over the course of development. We’re almost to launch and can’t wait for you to play on November 9! 💙 pic.twitter.com/vptHyKJ1JP
— Santa Monica Studio – God of War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) October 7, 2022
Going gold is industry speak for a completed game, which means that the title has been completed and is in its final stages before being released. This is great news, as God of War: Ragnarok is scheduled to launch on November 9th, and this now means there won’t be any delays.
God of War: Ragnarok was originally scheduled to release in 2021, but the game was unfortunately delayed. At the time, Santa Monica Studios said it wanted to focus on delivering a top-quality game while maintaining the safety and well-being of its team, creative partners and families. While the delay was disappointing, it makes sense to push the game back as the developers at Sony Santa Monica were forced to work tight deadlines during the middle of a pandemic.
I’m just happy the game is finally coming out and that there’s only about a month before it drops.
After months of back and forth between Elon Musk and Twitter, it seems like Tesla’s CEO will go through with acquiring Twitter for his initial $44 billion buyout offer.
According to a CP24report, after reviving his buyout offer on Monday, October 3rd, Musk said he needs some time to get the funding required in order. Hence, the Twitter vs. Musk trial that was initially set to take place on October 17th has now been postponed to sometime in November, while Musk has until October 28th to close the deal, said Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick, head of the Delaware Chancery Court.
Twitter issued this statement about today's news: We received the letter from the Musk parties which they have filed with the SEC. The intention of the Company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share.
It is reported that Musk will acquire a majority of the funds by selling his Tesla shares, while the rest will be acquired by large investors and major banks. Back in April, when news about the Twitter acquisition first came out, it was reported that two Canadian banks were lending Musk money for the deal, namely RBC and CIBC. The two banks had put up $955 million CAD and $500 million CAD, respectively, totalling $1.46 billion CAD. The new round of funding, however, as shared by Reuters, does not have the two banks listed.
A brief timeline of Musk vs. Twitter can be found here.
2K, the publisher behind NBA 2K, Bioshock and more is facing a security breach. The company is reaching out to players via email, notifying them of the personal data compromise.
On September 19th, 2 K’s help desk platform was compromised. “Earlier today, we became aware that an unauthorized third party illegally accessed the credentials of one of our vendors to the help desk platform that 2K uses to support our customers,” 2K tweeted at the time. Following this, the publisher confirms the breach is resulting in the theft of personal information.
Hey folks, please read an important message from our Customer Support team. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/yKI18eL7mY
“We are contacting you to let you know that an unauthorized third party gained access to, and a copy of, a limited volume of your personal data held in 2 K’s helpdesk system and made it available for sale,” 2K said in an email. One Reddit user posted the email in full, highlighting the publisher’s notice.
2K confirms that the names of players, emails, Gamertags, console details and other sensitive information provided to the company are compromised. However, the publisher is reluctant to state whether financial information has also been breached. “There’s no indication that any of your financial information or password(s) held on our systems were compromised,” the company claims.
It appears as though whoever is behind the hack is already contacting players. 2K warns players that malicious links and phishing scams may have been sent via the support portal under the guise of 2K. In this case, these links may lead to further compromising sensitive data such as passwords stored on their devices. The support portal is now back online. 2K recommends players “be vigilant for unauthorized third parties.”
To be clear, it appears as though this breach predominantly affects those who have contacted 2K via the support portal. The breach doesn’t seem to affect players who actively play 2K games or have a 2K account. However, it’s always worth staying vigilant across all of your accounts.
2K is reeling from not one but two major breaches recently. Subsidiary Rockstar Games got hit with one of the largest gaming leaks last month. Over 90 videos of the unannounced Grand Theft Auto 6 were stolen and leaked due to a “network intrusion.” The FBI is now investigating the 17-year-old hacker accused of infiltrating the studio’s systems.
Late last month, the Federal Government announced that it is dropping all COVID-19 border restrictions and making the ArriveCan app a non-mandatory tool for travellers.
Through a subsequent The Globe and Mail analysis, we now know that the Federal government wasted spent more than double on the app this year than it had initially said.
During the summer, The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) provided media outlets with the total number of companies that received contracts connected to ArriveCan. According to the CBSA, only five companies had received contracts to work on the ArriveCan app in the year. Now, the CBSA has submitted a new document in Parliament that list 27 contracts involving 23 unique companies.
The total federal spending for the ArriveCan app is set to reach “in excess of $ 54 million” this year, with Ottawa-based GCstrategies having received the most federal work contracts for the application. Surprisingly, GCstrategies has less than five employees, and passes on most of the work to unnamed subcontractors.
IBISKA and Amazon Web Services were second and third, respectively, on the ‘Federal expenditure on contracts for work on the ArriveCan app’ list.
In reply to a Conservative MP request in the Parliament, the CBSA provided a spending report that indicated it had spent $19.7-million on developing the app and $4.9-million on app maintenance. The same figures were shared with media outlets in the summer when the CBSA had provided a list of companies that received contracts connected to ArriveCan. That totals $24.6 million. Additionally, in the CBSA’s written response to the Conservative MP, it added that there was an additional $4.9-million spent by the Public Health Agency of Canada for maintaining and promoting the application. That totals $29.5 million in spending for the app.
But wait, there’s more. The figures mentioned aren’t for all of 2022. They are for the fiscal year that ended on March 31st, 2022. Beginning April 1st, 2022, during the new fiscal year, an additional $25 million had been approved to be spent on the ArriveCan app, out of which roughly half or roughly $12.5 million has been spent so far. That totals $54.5 in total, out of which $42 million has already been spent.
Spending on ArriveCan app projected to top $54-million, double the amount Ottawa first divulged https://t.co/vLcNEgGimC
Yesterday, Google had its product fall launch, fully revealing the Pixel 7,Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel Watch, and it even showed off the Pixel Tablet. However, there was no mention of the Pixel foldable.
So naturally, people had questions. Popular leaker Roland Quandt went on Twitter to ask the question many of us had stirring inside. Though I’m sure he wasn’t expecting an answer, display analyst Ross Young gave him one.
In Young’s reply, he told Quandt, “Q1.” The display analyst has known details about the foldable for quite some time now. Young also then replied to another user, saying that the last he heard, the panel shipments commence in January.
However, it’s still unclear when we’ll get the foldable device. This could mean that Google is going to tease us starting in Q1, or perhaps the Mountain View company will show off the handset at Google I/O 2023. Given Google’s penchant for teasing devices far ahead of release, we could see the Pixel foldable in January but not get the phone until the end of the year. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough information here. But now I’m looking forward to seeing what Q1 has to bring for Google.
Back in May, Young leaked that the Pixel Foldable’s display is being made by Samsung. The phone would sport a 7.6-inch screen size on the inside, and a 5.8-inch display on the outside. The 5.8-inch screen is supposed to be wider than what’s available on Samsung devices.
I’m very much looking forward to the Pixel foldable, so I’m hoping we do learn more about this mysterious device sometime in Q1.
Google’s new Pixel 7 Pro comes in three storage sizes, but Canadians will only get access to two.
The search giant confirmed to MobileSyrup that the 512GB Pixel 7 Pro won’t be on the Google Store “right now.” It’s unclear when, or even if, it will come to the Canadian store in the future.
That leaves Canadians with a choice between the $1,179 128GB Pixel 7 Pro or the $1,309 256GB.
While for me, 128GB of storage remains more than enough, the lack of 512GB may be a real bummer for some. For example, if you take a ton of photos or videos, you may run into the limits of the smaller storage sizes much faster.
The Pixel 7 is likewise available in 128GB and 256GB, but it doesn’t have a 512GB variant.
You can learn more about the Pixel 7 Pro here, and about the Pixel 7 here.
The other issue with these buds is the price. Sure, they sound a bit better and offer stronger ANC than the regular Galaxy Buds 2, but they cost a lot more. At $120, the standard Galaxy Buds 2 are a great deal, but at $289, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pros are a tough sell. Moreover, the high price makes it more annoying when they fail to work.
