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Mobile Syrup

Google Nest products are up to 27 percent off today

Google is not only preparing to release the new Pixel 7 lineup, and the Pixel Watch, but also decided to slash the prices on its Nest lineup.

Check out all the deals below as the company has discounted items by up to 27 percent.

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

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Mobile Syrup

Amazon unveils a ‘thinner, lighter and faster’ Fire HD 8 tablet

Amazon Canada announced that it’s releasing a new version of its Fire HD 8 tablet.

As the name suggests, the new tablet features an eight-inch HD display and runs on an updated Hexa-core processor, up from its predecessor’s quad-core processor, resulting in a 30 percent faster experience. The display is made with a strengthened aluminosilicate glass, which according to Amazon, makes the new Fire HD 8 tablet twice as durable as the iPad mini in tumble test. iPads aren’t necessarily known for their durability, so the comparison doesn’t prove much, but it does make it clear that the new-gen Fire HD 8 will be more rugged and durable than its predecessor.

The battery received a slight boost, going from “up to 12 hours” battery life in the last-gen Fire HD 8 to “up to 13 hours” in the new-gen tablet. The new tablet takes the same time to fully charge as the last-gen model — five hours using the USB-C cable and 5W power adapter.

Both models feature Dolby Atmos, stereo speakers and a built-in microphone. Further, according to Amazon’s press release, the new Fire HD 8 is reportedly only available with 32GB of storage, with microSD card expansion up to 1TB. On the other hand, the previous-gen Fire HD 8 came in 32GB and 64GB variants, alongside microSD card expansion up to 1TB.

“Our best-selling tablet this year just got even better for customers. The all-new Fire HD 8 tablets are faster, lighter, and powered by all-day battery life, delivering great entertainment for the whole family,” said Kevin Keith, vice president of Amazon Devices.

The new Fire HD 8 is available for pre-order today in Black, Denim, and Rose colours, starting at $189.99.

Alongside the new Fire HD 8, Amazon also launched the Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablets. “For a complete kids tablet experience, the all-new Fire Kids tablets include one year of Amazon Kids+, a virtual playground of thousands of ad-free games, videos, books, apps, and more, kid-friendly case, a two-year worryfree guarantee, and easy-to-use parental controls,” said Keith.

The kids’ tablets come with solid parental controls that allow screen time limitation, an option to set educational goals, and management of content for up to four child profiles. “The Amazon Kids browser provides filtered access to the web for school projects and more, and built-in controls are designed to help filter out inappropriate sites,” reads Amazon’s news release.

Similar to the new Fire HD 8, Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablets also come with 32GB storage and are available to pre-order for $189.99.

Learn more about the new tablets here.

Image credit: Amazon

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Mobile Syrup

Google makes Tasks app a more unified experience

Google is looking to simplify its Task experience by allowing users to manage all their to-dos in one place, whether they create tasks using Assistant or Calendar.

With the update, you’ll be able to create tasks whether you’re in Gmail, Google Chat or Google Calendar, and you can sort the tasks you make into lists and star what are most important to you. Once you’re done with a task, you can keep track of the progress in the Google Tasks app. Further, you can mark them as complete.

You’ll also be able to use Assistant to add items to your tasks list, whether you’re using your smartphone or a smart display. And if you add a date or time, you’ll also recieve a notification when it’s time to complete the task to prevent you from forgetting.

These features aren’t available yet but will arrive in the coming months. When Tasks gets the update, you’ll see a notification when you use Assistant or Calendar to create or view reminders. The notification will prompt you to try out the Tasks experience. Open the notification to move your reminders to Tasks, so you can manage all of your to-dos in one place.

Image Credit: Google

Source: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung is reportedly working on a Wireless Charger Hub

Samsung is reportedly working on a new charging accessory called the Wireless Charger Hub. The ‘Hub’ in the name likely indicates it will be capable of wireless charging multiple devices at once.

Dutch publication GalaxyClub believes that the Wireless Charger Hub is the successor to the Wireless Charger Trio Samsung released back in 2020. This wireless charging accessory might arrive alongside the Galaxy S23 lineup next year, according to the leak.

Pricing details and specs are currently unclear, and all we know so far is the charger’s name.

We’ll have to wait to learn more about the upcoming wireless charging accessory. While charging three devices at once is cool, hopefully, it will be able to wireless fast charge multiple devices at once.

Source: SamMobile, GalaxyClub

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Mobile Syrup

Nintendo to end support for Facebook, Twitter logins in October

Nintendo has confirmed that it will end support for Facebook and Twitter logins starting October 25th.

At that time, you’ll only be able to sign in using your Nintendo account or through a linked Apple/Google account. Nintendo has a dedicated page for the discontinuation here.

Additionally, Nintendo has announced that it’s ceasing support for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U image sharing to Facebook and Twitter. This will also take place on October 25th.

Source: Nintendo

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Mobile Syrup

U.S. iPhone 14 includes plastic spacer to fill SIM card hole

Apple made a controversial move this year by removing the SIM card slot from U.S. iPhone 14 models, and surprisingly, there’s still a gap on the motherboard for the SIM tray that the company has plugged with a plastic spacer.

This isn’t entirely surprising, considering that all non-American iPhones still feature SIM card slots, but it’s funny to see that a small useless piece of plastic has replaced the functional SIM card tray. It looks similar in size to a shallow keyboard key.

Alongside this tiny piece of plastic, iFixit also discovered that the iPhone 14 models (but not the iPhone 14 Pro models) have been rebuilt internally to make them easier to repair their front and back.

Beyond that, it will be interesting to see what Apple does next year and if all global iPhone models feature the same spacer. In its repair guide, iFixit hopes that Apple will fill this space with a MicroSD card reader in the future, but I wouldn’t hold my breath given the tech giant’s track record.

I’m personally hoping for a small compartment where I can store a single mint.

Image credit: iFixit

Source: iFixit

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Mobile Syrup

Amazon to host a hardware event on September 28

Exactly a year after its last hardware event, Amazon has shared that it’s ready to unveil new devices, features and services at its upcoming hardware event scheduled for Wednesday, September 28th.

The event will take place at 12pm ET/9am PT, and attendance to the virtual event is invite-only. The company’s invite to MobileSyrup didn’t have any other information about the event.

During last year’s hardware event, the company revealed the Echo Show 15, the Amazon Halo View, ‘Hey Disney’ features for Echo Devices and a Wall-E-looking smart robot called Astro.

Amazon isn’t likely to stream the event, though you can get all the updates from the event on MobileSyrup starting at 12pm ET/9am PT on September 28th.

In other Amazon-related news, the online retailer is considering holding a second Prime Day in Q4, 2022, and might reveal the dates for the event on September 28th.

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Mobile Syrup

Opensignal’s 5G mobile experience awards names Canada’s big three as high performers

A new global ranking showing users’ 5G experience provides another example of the limited telecom services in Canada.

Opensignal’s 5G Global Mobile Network Experience Awards for 2022 examined the 5G experience between the first half of 2021 and 2022. It places the big three (Rogers, Bell, and Telus) in a small handful of categories.

Global Impact

The ‘Global Impact’ section examined user experience with 5G compared to 4G.

Bell, Rogers, and Telus appear under the ‘5G Reach’ category. It measures how often networks connected users to a 5G network from all the places they visited. On a score of 0-10, Rogers comes first out of the big three with a score of 5.3, while Bell and Telus both have scores of 4.8. Rogers placed 14 out of a list of 34; Bell placed 21, and Telus came in 22nd.

Rogers is the only Canadian brand to appear in the gaming experience category under the Global Impact section. The class examined the gaming experience between 4G and 5G, and Opensignal’s users found the experience increased by 13.7 percent with Rogers 5G.

Rising Stars

Bell, Telus, and Rogers appear under the company’s ‘Rising Star’ category, measuring the 20 most improved companies for 5G experience year-over-year.

Bell and Telus appear in the top 20 for 5G reach. “Bell and Telus have made the grade with increases of 72.5 percent and 71.2 percent, respectively.”

Rogers appears in the top 20 for upload speed and is the only North American company to appear on the list.

Report only covers 5G

An Opensignal spokesperson told MobileSyrup that the report only analyzed and compared services for companies that launched 5G services.

“We have not included regional operators, MVNOs or wholesale networks, to ensure the report is focused on the operators that most consumers would consider when choosing a mobile service,” the spokesperson said.

The statement reveals the limited options Canadians have when it comes to choosing a telecom provider offering 5G services in Canada.

Source: Opensignal

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Mobile Syrup

What’s new on Xbox Game Pass on console, PC and mobile in late September 2022

Every month, Xbox brings new titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

Normally, these come in two waves and now, the company has revealed what’s hitting Game Pass in the second half of September.

The highlight of this batch is Deathloop, the once-PS5-console-exclusive shooter from Bethesda’s Arkane Studios. See below for the full list:

  • Deathloop (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC) — September 20th
  • Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Xbox Series X/S and PC) — September 20th
  • SpiderHeck (Console and PC) — September 22nd
  • Beacon Pines (Cloud, Console and PC) — September 22nd
  • Slime Rancher 2 (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) — September 22nd
  • Moonscars (Cloud, Console and PC) — September 27th
  • Grounded – Full Release (Cloud, Console and PC) – September 27th
  • Let’s Build A Zoo (Cloud, Console and PC) — September 29th
  • Valheim (Game Preview) (PC) — September 29th
  • PAW Patrol Grand Prix (Cloud, Console and PC) — September 30th

Additionally, here are the Cloud games getting mobile-friendly Touch Controls:

  • Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition
  • Grounded — Full Release (September 27th)
  • Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
  • Road 96
  • Shadowrun Returns
  • Shadowrun: Dragonfall
  • Shadowrun: Hong Kong
  • This War of Mine
  • Torment: Tides of Numenera

Finally, here’s what’s leaving Game Pass on September 30th:

  • AI: The Somnium Files (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Astria Ascending (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Dandy Ace (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Dirt 4 (PC) EA Play
  • Dirt Rally (PC) EA Play
  • Going Under (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Lemnis Gate (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Slime Rancher (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Subnautica: Below Zero (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • The Procession to Calvary (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Unsighted (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Visage (Cloud, Console and PC)

As always, Game Pass subscribers can take advantage of an exclusive 20 percent discount to purchase any game in the catalogue and keep playing even after it leaves Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Android and iOS in beta. Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass each cost $11.99/month.

Find out what came to Game Pass earlier this month here.

Image credit: Bethesda

Source: Xbox

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Mobile Syrup

iOS 16.1’s beta visually changes the iPhone’s battery percentage indicator

Apple’s second iOS 16.1 beta adds a notable missing feature to the recently released operating system update.

Instead of just showing a number in the battery indicator in the top right corner of the smartphone when the percentage is turned on, the tiny battery now visually shifts depending on the device’s charge (via MacRumors).

Before this update and in the current public version of iOS 16, the visual battery indicator remains stagnant and always displays as full with the percentage on, whether your iPhone is 100 percent or 30 percent charged.

The visual battery indicator will likely get a public release in the coming weeks.

Apple offered the battery percentage indicator for several years but killed off the feature when the iPhone X launched in 2017. However, with the release of iOS 16, it’s back and compatible with all of the tech giant’s recently released smartphones.

Source: @iSpeedtestOS Via: MacRumors