Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Which iPad is right for you? [SyrupCast 256]

On this week’s SyrupCast, the team takes a look at Apple’s iPad and breaks down how each tablet fits into the tech giant’s lineup.

This week’s pod squad — Patrick O’Rourke and Brad Bennett — also outline their favourite iPads, what they use the iPad for and discuss whether macOS is ever coming to Apple’s tablet line (spoilers: it isn’t).

For more iPad buying guide greatness, check out Bennett’s story focused on helping you decide what Apple tablet is right for you.

As always, you can listen to the show on your favourite podcast platform or watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Direct download link

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Mobile Syrup

Uber Eats is offering BOGO at select restaurants until March 28

Uber Eats is currently offering a “Double the meals, double the deals” promotion where you can buy a meal and get a second one for free (BOGO) at select restaurants.

The applicable restaurants vary from location to location. Where I am, I can avail the offer from McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Pita Pit, Osmow’s, Popeyes and more.

It’s worth noting that the whole menu isn’t BOGO. The promotion applies to select items only. For example, Taco Bell has the ‘Crunchwrap Supreme’ on BOGO, whereas you can buy one ‘SAJ Chicken Shawarma Wrap’ and get one for free from Osmow’s.

The promotion is set to expire on March 28th, and can only be claimed once per restaurant location. To find all participating restaurants near your location, head to the Uber app and click on BOGO banner.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Uber 

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Mobile Syrup

Manitoba will get a new 584 area code in October

Making a dial on a smartphone, close up

Manitoba is getting a new area code this fall.

The 584 code will serve the operating areas under the 204 and 431 codes.

The third-ever code for the province will gradually be released in the province starting October 29th.

“The introduction of a new area code creates millions of additional telephone numbers without affecting the existing numbers,” Kelly T. Walsh, program manager at the Canadian Numbering Administrator, said.

Manitoba got its first code, 204, 75 years ago. 431 was added in 2012 in response to the growing demand for wireless numbers.

The new code results from a recent decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to address the need for new telephone numbers. The decision has led to new codes for Eastern Ontario, and Quebec.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Telecommunications Alliance

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Mobile Syrup

Google may expand Pixel Launcher search to include screenshots, widgets

Google is working on ways to improve the excellent new search features in the Pixel Launcher with capabilities like widget search and more.

The changes were spotted by Esper’s Mishaal Rahman (via Android Police). Rahman was able to enable hidden flags in the Android 13 Developer Preview 2 Pixel Launcher to turn on the new search capabilities.

With the capabilities, Pixel Launcher’s search can pull up widgets, screenshots stored in Google Photos, and display Google search suggestions.

Android Police notes that the screenshot results were rumoured to roll out late last year, but the rumoured release never happened.

Overall, the improvements look welcome — as things currently stand, finding widgets on your Pixel can be cumbersome. Finding screenshots this way seems neat, although I’m not sure how often I’ll need to quickly pull up screenshots from my app drawer.

As for adding Google Search suggestions, that’s mostly meaningless to me since I hardly use Google Search, but as long as it doesn’t bog down the Pixel Launcher search bar, I don’t mind the addition.

With the launch of Android 12, Google added a whole new system search to the app drawer in the Pixel Launcher. Powered by the ‘Android System Intelligence’ app, the system search is blazing fast and a great way to quickly find apps and, sometimes, the content within apps. For example, I often use the app drawer search bar to look up settings and jump straight to the one I want instead of scrolling around in the Settings app.

Unfortunately, these changes don’t appear to fix my biggest pet peeve with the Pixel Launcher: the Google Search bar pinned to the bottom of the home screen. There’s nothing wrong with the search bar per se, but I hate that it’s specifically a Google search and not the much-improved (and way more useful) system search.

Source: Mishaal Rahman (Twitter) Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Spotify testing new Car Mode in mobile app with focus on voice control

Some Spotify users received prompts to test the app’s completely overhauled ‘Car Mode’ with a focus on simplified controls and voice activation.

The new Car Mode comes after Spotify killed the old ‘Car View’ feature in its mobile app last year. At the time, the music streaming giant said it was exploring other in-car experiences, but it wasn’t clear when those would arrive or what they’d be like.

Now, thanks to screenshots shared by 9to5Google (check the gallery below), we have a pretty good idea. First, the new Car Mode is accessible through a floating action button (FAB) that appears when users connect to a car audio system via Bluetooth.

Alongside the FAB, Spotify surfaces a bubble with text asking users to “test drive” the new Car Mode. 9to5 indicates the test isn’t fully rolled out and that it’s not clear if Car Mode is only available for Android, or if the iOS app will also be included.

When users tap the FAB, Spotify switches to the Car Mode interface, which looks a lot like the normal Spotify interface but bigger, making it easier to quickly see what’s on the screen and interact with it while driving.

Car Mode keeps Spotify’s three-button navigation bar but replaces the ‘Search’ button with a microphone (the Home and Library buttons remain unchanged). Users can tap the microphone to summon a voice control system to search for artists, songs, or playlists using speech.

Additionally, Car Mode revamps the playing screen with simpler, larger controls with play, pause, next song, previous song, shuffle, like and microphone buttons. Again, the interface should be easier to use at a glance than before.

Ultimately, the new Car Mode seems like a vast improvement over Car View, although I’ll reserve final judgement for when I actually get to try it myself. Moreover, Car Mode appears to still be in testing, so it’s possible Spotify could continue to improve on the interface.

Screenshots credit: 9to5Google

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Reminder: Netflix’s Canadian pricing has gone up

Netflix announced back in January that it would increase the price of its HD and 4K plans. Well, the day has come.

Depending on your billing cycle, you likely received an email from Netflix notifying you that your plan’s cost will increase the next time you’re billed. While some have already been paying the increased price, including new subscribers, the plan rate change should now be in effect for everyone.

While the ‘Basic’ 480p plan costs the same at $9.99, the HD and 4K plans have jumped from $15 and $19 to $16.49 and $20.99, respectively.

It seems like Netflix increases costs in two-year cycles. It raised plan prices back in 2018, then in 2020, and now in 2022.

In case you’re debating paying the extra price, or thinking about cancelling or changing your subscription, read below:

Cancelling or changing your subscription

Altering your subscription is hassle-free. Simply head to the Netflix app on any compatible device. I am using the web app for this tutorial. Tap the ‘Profile’ icon on the top right and select ‘Account,’ as seen in the screenshot below:

Head to ‘Cancel Membership’ (marked with red arrow 1) or ‘Change Plan’ (marked with red arrow 2) depending on what you want to do.

You’ll then be taken to a confirmation page to affirm your decision. In case you’re cancelling, your profiles, favourites, viewing preferences and account details will remain on Netflix’s database for 10 months, and if you rejoin the streaming service within that time, you’ll technically be able to retrieve your account.

In other Netflix-related news, the company recently announced plans to test a paywall on password sharing with anyone outside of a user’s household. Read more about it here.


What's coming to and leaving Netflix Canada in March 2022


What's coming to and leaving Netflix Canada in March 2022

In March 2022, Netflix Canada is set to stream several new TV shows and films, including Bridgerton season 2 and Human Resources.


Read Now

Image credit: Netflix

Source: Netflix

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how you can stream the Halo TV series in Canada

The long-awaited Halo TV series’ first episode dropped today, and fans of the franchise globally can’t contain their excitement. The TV series, which has been in the making for a long time, isn’t a direct adaptation of the shooter game, but it won’t stray away too much, either, with familiar faces like Master Chief and Cortana gracing the screen throughout the series.

In the United States, the series’ first episode is available to stream on Paramount+. In Canada and multiple other countries, Paramount’s streaming catalogue isn’t as extensive as it is in the United States. However, what matters right now is Halo, and the good news is that the series is available on Paramount+ in Canada.

You can sign up for a Paramount+ membership today, and you’ll get seven days of service for free, after which you’ll be charged either $5.99/month or $59.99/year, depending on the plan you go for. The first season of the series has a total of nine episodes, with one new episode releasing weekly.

Further, the series has been renewed for a second season, though filming for it hasn’t begun. According to your needs, and depending on whether you want to use Paramount for anything other than Halo, you can decide between the two plans.

Find Paramount+’s Canadian plans here.

Additionally, if you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you can claim a 30-day membership to Paramount+ for absolutely free, which will cover you for the first four episodes. The free subscription is one of the many perks offered through Game Pass Ultimate. To claim your free one-month subscription, head to the Xbox Game Pass mobile app, the Xbox app for Windows 10 PC or turn on your console. Navigate to the ‘Game Pass’ menu and you’ll see ‘Perks’ in gray at the bottom. Find the Paramount+ perk and follow the instructions on the screen.


Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can get 30 days of Paramount+ for free


Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can get 30 days of Paramount+ for free

Despite receiving lacklustre reviews, I’m still looking forward to the upcoming Halo TV series.


Read Now

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Mobile Syrup

CRTC approves Rogers-Shaw merger

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved Rogers’ acquisition of Shaw’s broadcasting services.

Rogers will acquire 16 cable services, a national satellite television service and other remaining broadcast and television services, the CRTC says.

More to come.

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Mobile Syrup

Catch Best Buy’s ‘Happy Hour Deals’ before they’re gone

Round two of Best Buy’s “Happy Hour Deals,” voted by its customers, are live until 8 p.m. ET today. To vote for the next batch, keep an eye on Best Buy’s Instagram Stories. And to take advantage of today’s limited-time deals, check the list below:

Toshiba 55″ 4K UHD HDR LED Smart TV for $599.99 (save 29%)

JBL Free II In-Ear Bluetooth Truly Wireless Headphones for $79.99 (save 64%)

Nanoleaf Essentials A19 Smart LED Light Bulb – 3 Pack for $49.99 (save 29%)

WD Easystore 12TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive for $249.99 (save 29%)

Razer Kiyo Webcam & Seiren X Microphone Streaming Kit for $129.99 (save 35%)

Blueair Blue Pure 411 Auto HEPASilent Air Purifier for $149.99 (save 21%)

SteelSeries Level Up Gaming Bundle with Keyboard, Mouse & Mousepad for $79.99 (save 27%)

Photo source: Best Buy

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships and publishes sponsored posts. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though MobileSyrup may earn a commission on purchases made via these links.

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s next big subscription could be for the iPhone itself

Apple may launch a subscription service for the iPhone and other hardware products.

The news comes from Bloomberg‘s reliable Mark Gurman, who often details Apple’s plans and products before the company reveals them. Gurman cites “people with knowledge of the matter” who say Apple’s subscription could make owning an iPhone “similar to paying a monthly app fee.”

Gurman writes that the subscription service would be Apple’s biggest push yet into automatically recurring sales. It’d also mark the first time customers could subscribe to Apple hardware, not just digital services.

However, the project is still in development, and Gurman’s sources asked not to be identified because Apple hasn’t announced the initiative.

In a tweet, Gurman also suggested that Apple could tie the subscription into its ‘Apple One’ bundles and into the Apple Care protection plan.

However, The Verge notes that Apple offers an iPhone Upgrade Program in the U.S. that allows customers to split the cost of an iPhone over 24 months. The program does allow customers to trade in their iPhones after 12 months of payments to get a new one. It remains unclear how the new subscription would differ from the existing program.

On that note, considering the existing iPhone Upgrade Program isn’t available in Canada, it’s not clear if a new subscription service would be available to Canadians.

Source: Bloomberg