Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Glenn Brandt appointed as Rogers’ chief financial officer

Glenn Brandt has been appointed the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Rogers Communications, a role previously filled by now president and CEO Tony Staffieri.

Brandt has worked for Rogers for the past 30 years in a variety of roles. Most recently he was the senior vice president of corporate finance.

“I look forward to working with the team to build on Rogers’ strong legacy of growth, deliver on our key priorities, and enhance value for our shareholders,” Brandt said in a statement.

A messy feud resulted in Staffieri serving as interim CEO back in November after former leader Joe Natale was ousted. This was the second time Edward Rogers, the chair of the board, attempted to appoint Staffieri.

Senior staffer Paulina Molnar stepped into the role of interim CFO.

Staffieri was appointed the official president and CEO in early January.

Source: Rogers

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Mobile Syrup

Fido changes plans again, adds $58/15GB offer and removes ‘starter’ designation

Rogers flanker brand Fido has once again changed up its plans. This time around, the wireless provider has changed over its $60/12GB plan to a $58/15GB plan, matching an offer provided by Koodo and Virgin Plus.

Interestingly, Fido also appears to have ditched its ‘starter’ plans, moving those options up to be counted as regular plans.

Koodo and Virgin added a limited-time $58/mo plan with 15GB of data back on January 22nd. Initially, Koodo offered a $60/15GB plan with a $5/mo bill credit but later adjusted the pricing to match Virgin and dropped the bill credit. It’s worth noting that both Koodo and Virgin promote their plans as $58/10GB plans with a 5GB data bonus, not as 15GB plans.

Fido has finally joined the other two flanker brands in offering a $58/mo 10GB plan with a 5GB data bonus for 15GB total. Further, Fido doesn’t list the plan as a limited-time offer like the others, but given how frequently carriers change up plans, I imagine it won’t stick around for long. It’s worth noting that Fido seems to no longer offer the $5/mo bill credit it had on January 19th.

Moreover, Fido offered a $70/mo 15GB plan prior to January 19th. That just makes the $58/15GB offer even sweeter. All plans include unlimited Canada-wide calling and texting, call display, circle calling and voicemail.

As for the starter plans, Fido seems to have removed that ‘starter’ designation, although the plans appear to have similar restrictions — you can’t select them if you choose to buy a phone on contract from Fido. If you’re buying a phone (even a cheap one like the Moto G Power) you can only pick from Fido’s $52/8GB or $58/15GB plans. Bring-your-own-phone (BYOP) customers, however, can select any plan they want.

Beyond the removal of the ‘starter’ designation, the plans remain unchanged:

  • $37.50/mo 2GB
  • $41.25/mo 4GB
  • $45/mo 6GB

As I’ve mentioned before, these plans match the government’s price reduction targets from its wireless price tracking initiative. However, the ‘starter’ designation and the various restrictions applied to these plans by wireless providers — such as making them unavailable to customers who want a phone — make them less useful for Canadians. It will be interesting to see if Koodo and Virgin follow suit in removing the ‘starter’ designation from their plans.

You can check out all of Fido’s plans here.

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Mobile Syrup

Shaw funding virtual arts program that will connect Canadian artists with disabilities

Shaw Communications is helping to develop a program that will connect artists living with disabilities in Canada.

The telecom company is working with the National accessArts Centre (NaAC) and will provide financial support to develop an online platform. It will feature live broadcasts of studio sessions, workshops, and learning modules, from the group’s Calgary studio space. The program will launch in Spring 2022.

NaAC is the oldest and largest disability arts organization in the country. Artists present work across visual and performing arts disciplines, including literary arts, dance theatre, and music.

Jung-Suk Ryu, president and CEO of NaAC, said the arts have served as a lifeline for many artists with disabilities during the pandemic. “With our national mandate, we feel compelled to respond to a growing need that we’ve heard across the country for an immersive learning platform that can support and showcase even more talent from our community of artists,” Ryu said in a statement.

The NaAC currently supports 350 artists through workshops and other resources through its studios. Programs delivered online also support the larger community of artists with disabilities in Canada.

It’s not clear how much Shaw is contributing to the program at this time.

Source: Shaw Communications

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Mobile Syrup

This exclusive launch team Stadia controller is listed on eBay until Feb. 7

Following the November 2019 release of Google Stadia, all launch development team members were gifted an exclusive clear Stadia controller. The controller wasn’t meant to be used for gaming, and even if you wanted to, you couldn’t, as it lacked crucial internal components and is meant to be used as decorative memorabilia only.

Now, over two years later, one of these clear controllers has made its way to eBay, as first shared by Twitter user @OriginaIPenguin.

What’s noteworthy, however, other than the gamepad’s scarcity, is that ‘delvalled_15‘ (the person who listed it) has taken apart the controller and added all internals from a Founder’s Edition Stadia controller, turning the memorabilia into a fully functioning controller that supports charging, vibrations and connectivity.

“This is a collectors item and will likely never be on the market again,” reads the listing’s description.

Stadia fans and collectors would likely love to get their hands on a clear controller, especially one that works and houses internals from the Founder’s Edition controller.

As of right now, the controller is bidding for $435 (roughly $552 CAD), though expect the bidding price to increase as the listing nears its end on Monday, February 7th, at 11:43am ET.

Image credit: eBay 

Source: eBay Via:@OriginaIPenguin

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Mobile Syrup

Google is testing a new Add to Playlist interface for YouTube Music

Google is testing a new ‘Add to Playlist‘ user interface for its YouTube Music Android app, as first spotted by Reddit user ‘Vishal_Kaul.’

While not a major update, it does spice up YouTube Music’s rather mundane playlist interface from simple black screen, to a bold, artwork-heavy page that shows the number of tracks in each playlist and features a new floating ‘add new playlist’ button.

The in-testing interface also features your recently played playlists right on top with its cover art in a carousel layout, making it easy for users to scroll through playlists they normally would play the most.

Check out these before and after images of the ‘Add to Playlist’ user interface, courtesy of 9to5Google:

While the new interface does look elegant, one user on Reddit has reported that they are having trouble scrolling through the new interface.

Google is likely to polish up the interface if and when it decides to officially roll the update out.

Source: Vishal_Kaul (Reddit)

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Mobile Syrup

TikTok launches creator program for all Canadians

TikTok is launching a ‘Creator Class’ in Canada. The Creator Class is an education program that’s designed to help creators learn more about the platform and improve their digital skills.

The classes start on February 7th and will be led by Canadian creators include Spencer West (@Spencer2theWest), Tiffy Chen (@Tiffycooks), Taiwo Aladejebi (@DefinitelyTai) and Torri Webster (@TorriWebster).

The five-week program is open to all Canadians and designed to help creators build content strategies, grow and engage their community and learn better practices. #TikTokcreatorclass will reportedly offer engaging course content that’s by creators who will share some inside tips.

If you want to participate in the classes, you can click here.

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s what’s coming to CBC Gem in February 2022

CBC has revealed the full list of movies and shows that are landing on its CBC Gem streaming service in February 2022.

See below for the full breakdown of what’s hitting CBC Gem in February:

February 1st

  • Black History Month Collection
  • Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America
  • Sherman’s House
  • How it Feels to be Free
  • Giants of Africa

February 5th

  • Anthony
  • Call the Midwife: Season 3
  • Rachel Khoo: My Swedish Kitchen: Season 1
  • Sweet Daddy Siki

February 12th

  • 21 Black Futures: Part 1-3, weekly
  • Met While Incarcerated
  • Another Kind of Wedding
  • Lovesick
  • Love Me As I Am
  • Until Further Notice
  • Sakhi-Pitiyahte

February 14th

Belgravia: season 1

February 19th

  • Nancy’s Pro Tips
  • Finding Sally
  • Lemonade
  • Old Stone

February 26th

  • Grand Designs: New Zealand: Season 2
  • Blackbird

Coming in March

  • Bad Banks: season 1
  • Ladhood: season 1
  • Stories From the Land (Short Stories)

CBC Gem offers free streaming with ads or a $4.99 per month subscription for ad-free viewing. The service is available on platforms like iOS, Android, the web, tvOS, Fire TV and Android TV.

Find out what hit CBC Gem in December here.

Image credit: IMDB

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Mobile Syrup

The New York Times acquires Wordle, says it will remain free for everyone

The New York Times has acquired the massively popular online word puzzle game Wordle.

In a press release, the company said the deal is valued at “an undisclosed price in the low-seven figures.”

Currently, the game is available for free via browsers, although The New York Times Company says it will eventually move over to The New York Times‘ website. When it does, though, it will remain free-to-play for everyone, according to the company.

When American software engineer Josh Wardle first released Wordle in October 2021, the game had only reached 90 players by November. However, 300,000 people played it nearly two months later, with millions of daily players diving in now.

The game gives you six chances to guess a five-letter word using hot-or-cold-like coloured hints. One new puzzle is released every day, making it something of a fun, short daily routine for players. Wordle also lets you post your results in a solution-free way to social media so you and your friends can compare.

While Wordle‘s new owner might initially seem surprising, Wardle says it “feels very natural,” given that the “New York Times Games play a big part in [Wordle‘s] origins.” In addition to confirming that the game will remain free-to-play, Wardle said he’s working with The New York Times Company to “make sure your wins and streaks will be preserved.”

This isn’t today’s only game-related acquisition news; PlayStation also revealed plans to buy Destiny developer Bungie for $3.6 billion USD (about $4.6 billion CAD).

Source: The New York Times Company 

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Mobile Syrup

Android Auto to look more like Apple CarPlay in upcoming update

A new version of Android Auto has been leaking online with a refreshed user interface (UI) that takes inspiration from Apple’s modern CarPlay interface — which in itself borrows a lot from the first version of Android Auto.

Competition is fun, isn’t it?

The new version of Android Auto, codenamed ‘Coolwalk,’ features a multi-card interface that allows users to interact with more than one app at a time. This means you can have maps, weather info, and playback controls all easily accessible simultaneously.

Image credit: regionrat91 (Reddit)

You might be asking yourself, “but Brad, can’t I already do that on Android Auto?” You’re right. However, the existing version squeezes music controls onto a tiny bar along the bottom of the screen and squishes the temperature and time into the top status bar. Neither are very pleasing to interact with.

At least in the leaks, the updated UI has completely gotten rid of the top status bar and instead appears to place everything in the bottom bar or the new side panels. 9to5Google also notes that the software is still in a beta stage and that it features several bugs.

Digging further into the code, a user on Reddit was able to find a new ‘Cast’ feature and a ‘reply to calls with a text’ button if you receive a call while driving. XDA Developers discovered three new wallpapers as well.

The new Cast controls are the most exciting addition and could place Google in a perfect spot to allow users to play media through their car’s screen while charging up an electric vehicle. Perhaps Google will also use it as a way for multiple people in a vehicle to queue up music from their own phones?

Beyond the new cards, the rest of the interface looks the same as the current version of Android Auto. Sadly, there’s no trace of Material You colours in these leaks, but hopefully, Google adds the new design elements to Android Auto once it reveals this latest update.

Image credit: regionrat91 (Reddit)

Source: 9to5Google, XDA Developers

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Mobile Syrup

Spotify finally adds COVID-19 misinformation tags to podcasts — thanks, Joe Rogan

Last week, UFC commentator and former Fear Factor host Joe Rogan finally crossed the line with the spread of misinformation through his popular ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast that Canadian artist Neil Young removed his music from Spotify in protest.

In an effort to smooth out the situation, the streaming service has implemented a new tag to help viewers understand that the information within some of the podcasts streamed through the platform may be untrue. Spotify also reworked its platform rules to make it easier to ban content that asserts that COVID, AIDS, or any other life-threatening illness are hoaxes.

Spotify’s response is crucial in this instance because the streaming music platform bought the exclusive rights to the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020 in a deal worth more than $100 million USD (roughly $127 million CAD). Since then, Rogan and Spotify have come under fire several times related to the spread of COVID-19-related misinformation on the show. Earlier this year, more than 270 doctors and other health care experts signed a joint letter condemning Spotify and Rogan for the COVID misinformation shared on the podcast.

For example, in 2021 Spotify reviewed an episode where Rogan stated that those under the age of 21 should not get the COVID-19 vaccine. The company deemed that episode fine at the time, but this latest bout of fake information has hit the streaming platform financially, resulting in a $2.1 billion USD (roughly $2.6 billion CAD) loss in its market cap over three days. 

Rogan himself has also come out and apologized to an extent, though his almost 10-minute Instagram video seems out of touch with the situation and seems to be shifting the blame off himself even though he orchestrated the situation.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Joe Rogan (@joerogan)

Rogan also mentions that his podcast episode with Dr. Robert Malone (MD) has been marked with the Spotify COVID-19 misinformation tagline at the start of the show. Rogan goes on to say that he promises to try and balance the opinions on his show more in the future.

A few other artists beyond Young have also pulled their music from Spotify, including Joni Mitchell.

Source: @joerogan Via: The Verge