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Federal government details $145 million spending to improve internet access in rural Ontario

The Government of Canada is working to bring high-speed internet to 98 percent of the population by 2026.

The initiative has led to a barrage of announcements from the federal government benefiting several provinces, including B.C., Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario.

Most of the recent announcements focusing on Ontario provide details on the historic $1.2 billion investment the federal government and the Province of Ontario announced in July 2021. Here’s a breakdown of Ontario’s most recent funding details that benefit rural and First Nations communities.

$63 million for 13,748 households

  • Huron Telecommunications received five contracts worth $4.5 million, benefiting 897 households.
  • Tuckersmith Communications received one contract worth $10.6 million to improve internet access for 1,191 homes.
  • Cogeco Connexion received three contracts totalling $17.6 million to benefit 3,341 homes.
  • Vianet Inc. received a contract worth $352,850 to benefit 117 households.
  • Bell received a $30.4 million contract for 8,202 homes.

$15 million for 1948 homes

  • Mornington Communications received an $11.6 million contract benefiting 1,390 homes.
  • Quadro Communications received three contracts totalling $3.8 million to improve internet connection in 558 households.

$51 million for 4,086 households

  • Bell received a $49.5 million contract to benefit 3,852 households.
  • The government has also allocated $2.3 million to improve access to 234 homes but has not released who will be working on the project.

$16 million for 3,330 households

  • Execulink Telecom received a $3.6 million contract to benefit 656 households.
  • Ottawa has further allocated $12.4 million to improve access for an additional 2,674 households but has not shared who will receive the contract.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Here are the new games coming to Nvidia GeForce Now this week

Nvidia has announced nine new games that are coming to its GeForce Now cloud-streaming platform this week.

Below is a full list of all of the titles:

Nvidia’s cloud gaming service offers three membership options. The first is the free route that will give you standard access to the platform with a one-hour gaming limit per session. Once the hour passes, you can queue again to get another hour of free gaming in, although you may have to wait a while.

Nvidia also offers a paid membership option that gives you priority access to gaming servers without any session length limit. This subscription will cost you $12.99/month or $64.99 for six months.

Lastly, the company’s recently-released RTX 3080 tier provides a low ‘click-to-pixel’ latency of 56ms, and a boost in framerates and overall performance. The subscription is available for $24.99/month or $129.99 for six months.

Learn more about Nvidia GeForce and its subscription options here. Find all games coming to the cloud streaming platform in April here.

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung’s convertible Galaxy Book Pro 360 is $200 off on Amazon

Samsung’s 2021-released Galaxy Book Pro 360 is currently on sale at Amazon, as shared by RedFlagDeals user ‘Cheapo-Findo.’

The convertible touch screen laptop is currently available for $999.99, down $200.95 (17 percent) from its regular $1,200.94 price tag.

The version on sale is the 13.3-inch intel i5 model, which comes equipped with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD.

The convertible laptop boasts a 360-degree hinge, along with S Pen support and an AMOLED FHD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution display. According to Samsung, the laptop runs for about 20 hours on a single charge, which can power you through a day of work with ease.

Further, the Book Pro 360 features Dolby Atmos Audio, a 720p HD webcam with Dual Array microphone and a built-in fingerprint sensor for authentication.

Learn more about the laptop here, or purchase it from Amazon for $999.99 here.

Source: RedFlagDeals, Amazon

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Mobile Syrup

Alberta getting new 368 area code

Alberta is getting a new area code on April 23rd.

The new 368 code will be introduced in areas currently served by the 403, 587, 780 and 825 area codes.

The addition caters to the demand for new numbers in the region.

Existing numbers in the area will keep their original area code, and local calling won’t change. The same goes for unique three-digit numbers, including 911.

“The new area code will be introduced gradually starting on April 23. After this date, consumers and businesses requesting a new phone number may receive one with the new area code,” Kelly T. Walsh, Program Manager of the Canadian Numbering Administrator, said.

New codes will also be introduced in Québec this fall. 

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Telus Communications 

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Mobile Syrup

Best Buy recalls more than 770,000 Insignia air fryers in Canada and the U.S.

Best Buy is recalling more than 770,000 air fryers from Insignia in Canada and the U.S. This follows after numerous reports have raised concerns over the machines catching fire, melting, or burning.

Reports have come from both Canadian consumers as well as those in the U.S. In Canada, 36 reports were issued to Best Buy. However, an additional 68 reports were received in the U.S. Across the reports, consumers discussed occurrences where their machine overheated, leading to fire hazards. Of the reports, seven include minor property damages and two injuries, one including a child’s leg.

The recall covers a number of models, including Insignia Digital Air Fryers and Insignia Digital Air Fryer Oven. The recalled products in both Canada and the U.S. were sold by Best Buy between November 2018 and February 2022. Additionally, these also include products sold through eBay and Amazon between those dates.

Recalled products in Canada include:

  • Insignia – 3.4 qt. Analog Air Fryer – Black, Model: NS-AF32MBK9-C
  • Insignia – 5 qt. Analog Air Fryer – Stainless Steel, Model: NS-AF53MSS0-C
  • Insignia – Digital Air Fryer – Family Size – Black, Model: NS-AF55DBK9-C
  • Insignia – 10 qt. Analog Air Fryer – Black, Model: NS-AF50MBK9-C
  • Insignia – 10 qt. Digital Air Fryer Oven – Black, Model: NS- AFO6DSS1-C
  • Insignia – 5.3 qt. Digital Air Fryer Oven – Stainless Steel, Model: NS-AF50DBK0-C

To participate in the recall, consumers must register online at the Insignia Air Fryer and Air Fryer Oven Recall Self-service Portal through Best Buy, or call 1-877-650-5411.

The consumer will receive a shipping box, return shipping label, and instructions as registration are complete. Afterwards, consumers should expect to receive the aforementioned items within three to six weeks of registering.

Returning an Insignia air fryer results in the exchange of a digital gift card. In Canada, Best Buy will dole out the average sales price of the unit in each country. In Canada, it’s roughly $75 and $50 in the U.S. However, depending on the model, pricing can fluctuate.

Image credit: Best Buy

Source: Health Canada Via: NBC News

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Mobile Syrup

New YES program will help Canadian youth and Ukrainian refugees find reliable cyber security employment

Canada’s Youth Employment Services (YES), through funding received from the Government of Ontario’s Skills Development Fund, is launching a new Cyber Security training program for Canadian post-secondary youth and Ukrainian refugees.

With the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine preceded by constant cyberattacks, and cyber security around the world on the rise, “the demand for cyber security experts is outpacing the number of qualified applicants,” according to YES. The program will help Canadian youngsters, refugees from Ukraine, and job seekers gain a cyber-security certificate, cognitive behaviour therapy, specialized pre-employment, mentorship and future skills training, helping them get on a pathway to reliable employment.

“I am proud to support the Cyber Security Training Program at YES which opens doors to bigger paycheques and greater opportunities for young people and Ukrainian refugees in our province,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

Learn more about the program here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Youth Employment Services

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Mobile Syrup

New PlayStation Plus slated for June 13 release in North America

Last month, Sony unveiled its new PlayStation Plus game subscription service, and now we’re finally learning more about what games will be part of the platform and when it releases.

The service is poised to launch in North America on June 13th this year. While that date is fast approaching, Canadian pricing still hasn’t been released. MobileSyrup has reached out to PlayStation Canada multiple times for more information regarding PlayStation Plus pricing.

Sony’s PlayStation Plus platform is available in three tiers: ‘Plus Essential,’ ‘Plus Extra’ and ‘Plus Premium.’

PlayStation Plus Essential, the first tier of the new subscription, is the same as the current PlayStation Plus offering. It includes online multiplayer access, two monthly downloadable games, discounts, and cloud storage for saved games.

The next tier, PlayStation Plus Extra, offers the same benefits as Plus Essential along with a catalogue of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games that PlayStation owners can download and play. Sony says the 400 titles include “blockbuster hits” from the PlayStation Studios catalogue and from third-party partners. However, it’s not clear if subscribers will get day-one access to new titles from Sony.

The third and final tier, PlayStation Plus Premium, includes everything from the previous two tiers, along with up to 340 more games and PS3 titles available via cloud streaming. This tier also offers a catalogue of “beloved classic games” from the original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP available both through streaming and download options.

U.S. pricing starts at $99.99 ($roughly $125 CAD)  yearly for Plus Extra and $119.99 (roughly $150 CAD) for Plus Premium. It’s assumed that Plus Essential will cost the same as it does now, $69.99 CAD ($59.99 USD).

Sony says that Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Returnal and more will be available at launch.

You can learn more about the service, here.

Image credit: PlayStation

Source: PlayStation

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Mobile Syrup

Noodlecake Studios launches Moonshot – A Journey Home on Apple Arcade

Noodlecake Studios has launched Moonshot – A Journey Home on Apple Arcade. The Canadian studio is known for developing a bevy of games including Nuts. The studio has also had its hand in publishing games such as Alto’s Adventure: The Spirit of the Mountain and now Moonshot – A Journey Home.

Morsel Interactive, a small, two-person team consisting of Milan Cubic and Valentina Bregovic, developed the title after launching the Vibe Camera photo app on iOS. Moonshot is described as a mini-golf game in space.

The game features a physics-based slingshot mechanic where players fire Moon Pi, a young moon, across a wide universe. Additionally, Moonshot – A Journey Home features a story in which Moon Pi hopes to return to Mother Earth.

“Players will launch themselves past other planets’ gravity fields, all while avoiding dangerous traps like black holes, aliens and other strange space phenomena in their quest back to Mother Earth,” the game’s description reads.

Moonshot features 126 levels across seven unique worlds. It afeatures 50 achievements to unlock across the game. Additionally, players can take part in special events each week to unlock prizes and skins for Moon Pi.

Finally, on top of launching Moonshot – A Journey Home, new content updates on Apple Arcade include:

  • Bloons TD 6+: new UI changes, a new beginner map, hero, and boss.
  • Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: introduces Eliza’s five-episode story, a new character, a new court, new customizations, new daily quests and weekly events, and more.
  • Star Trek: Legends — newly added Hero
  • Spire Blast: a new world with 30 new levels, 10 new challenge levels, and limited-time challenge events
  • Zen Pinball Party: newly added Williams Pinball: Champion Pub table

As Moonshot – A Journey Home is an Apple Arcade Original, the game is playable on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Apple Arcade is available for $5.99/month.

Image credit: Noodlecake Studios

Source: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

Google introduces new Play Store policy, banning third-party call recording apps

Google is seemingly banning all third-party call recording apps from the Play Store in the imminent future. As a part of an upcoming Google Play Store policy change, apps can no longer use the ‘Accessibility’ API for call recording on Google Play Store.

While intentionally designed for people with disabilities, some apps utilize Accessibility API to gain audio functions of an Android device. In Google’s pursuit of stopping call recordings on Android, the company is banning the use of Accessibility Service for call recordings, according to a Reddit user.

As per the updated Play Store policy guidelines, Google states, “Apps with a core functionality intended to directly support people with disabilities are eligible to use the IsAccessibilityTool.” However, “Apps not eligible for IsAccessibilityTool may not use the flag and must meet prominent disclosure and consent requirements. The Accessibility API is not designed and cannot be requested for remote call audio recording.”

Since the heyday of Android 6, Google has been incrementally working on eliminating call recording from third-party apps. This was largely a success during that era. Upon the advent of Android 10, Google banned the microphone for call recording. Now, Accessibility API use is the last peg on the ladder.

During a webinar video, Google discussed the topic at hand. “Remote in this context refers to call audio recording where the person on the other end is unaware of the recording is taking place.”

Google is removing third-party apps from the Play Store. However, apps such as Google Phone and Mi Dialer will not experience any changes. Both apps feature native call recording features.

Privacy and maintaining user security are undoubtedly important. Though, call recording functionality can often be a legitimate practice for many of Google’s users and businesses. Striking a balance between offering solutions from trusted sources will go a long way for users.

Source: Reddit, Via: Engadget

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Mobile Syrup

Splatoon 3 release date slated for September 9th, 2022

This summer is the season of the squid as Splatoon 3 is making its way to Nintendo Switch on September 9th. The company announced that the highly anticipated follow-up in Nintendo’s Splatoon 2 isn’t too far away from release.

Alongside the release date announcement, Nintendo also offered a fresh look at Splatoon 3’s 4v4 competitive ‘Turf War’ mode. Additionally, during the three minutes of footage, we’re shown the brand new ‘Eeltail Alley’ map.

As is expected, Splatoon 3 features a vibrant and colourful take on third-person shooters. Players team up to take on opposing teams, covering the map with their respective ink colours. Teams also battle to fire paint at opponents in hopes to claim victory.

Splatoon 3 was first announced by Nintendo in February, 2021. The game features a full-fledged campaign titled‘ Return of the Mammalians,’ where players team up with Agent 3 to fight the Octarians. “Discover the secrets of a mysterious place called Alterna and the Fuzzy Ooze,” the official synopsis states.

Additionally, Splatoon 3 includes the return of Salmon Run, Splatoon’s beloved Horde mode.

To prepare players for the launch of Splatoon 3, Nintendo is adding the Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion DLC to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Subscribers of the $63.99/yearly membership gain access to 80 additional missions to the 2017 splat-tastic game.

Image credit: Nintendo

Source: Nintendo of America