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Mobile Syrup

Twitter’s mobile apps won’t open links in AMP anymore

Twitter dropped support for Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) on mobile, according to a support page from the company.

Spotted by SEO consultant Christian Oliveira (via The Verge), the support page originally explained how Twitter would automatically send mobile users to the AMP version of a webpage through links posted on the platform. The page was updated at some point between October 21st and now with a notice that the company will retire the feature by the end of the year.

However, The Verge cites data from SearchEngineLand that shows Twitter’s AMP retirement likely wrapped up earlier this month. Now, visiting a webpage from Twitter on mobile appears to send users to the regular webpage instead of the AMP version.

For those unfamiliar with AMP, it’s a somewhat controversial technology introduced by Google back in 2015. Google’s goal with AMP was to make the mobile web faster. However, many people disliked AMP because of Google’s perceived control of the project and claimed it was an attempt by the search giant to further control the open web.

For example, there was a time when Google required news sites to offer AMP versions of their sites if they wanted to feature in the search engine’s ‘Top Stories’ section. However, Google dropped that requirement in May 2020.

People also had issues with how AMP worked, such as how AMP operated on Google’s servers rather than on the actual website people wanted to go to, or how AMP sites wouldn’t respect some settings like a users’ log-in status. In other cases, developers would make AMP versions of their site but would cut features and/or functionality, making the AMP variant significantly worse than the regular site.

Twitter’s support document doesn’t list a reason for the policy change, but for some users, it will likely be a welcome one. AMP is a regular pain in my ass since I mostly use Twitter as a news aggregation platform, so I’m happy about the change. And anyone who uses any of the plethora of browser extensions or apps designed to redirect AMP pages to the original URL will also likely welcome Twitter’s new policy.

Source: Twitter, Christian Oliveira, SearchEngineLand Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Google’s smart home products get the Black Friday treatment

Google’s online store ‘Black Friday’ deals and promotions are live now, with great discounts on several of the company’s smart home gadgets and Pixelbooks.

It’s worth noting that all deals mentioned on Google’s website are also available at Best Buy, allowing a more convenient and familiar checkout.

Find all Black Friday deals from Google below, with an accompanied link to redirect to Best Buy:

Nest Doorbell (battery): $169.99 (regularly $239.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Cam (battery): $199.99 (regularly $239.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Cam 2-pack: $379.99 (regularly $439.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Learning Thermostat: $249 (regularly $329) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Cam with floodlight (wired): $319.99 (regularly $379.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Hub (2nd gen): $69.99 (regularly $129.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Wifi router: $199 (regularly $229) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Wifi router and point: $269 (regularly $349) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Wifi router and 2 points: $359 (regularly $459) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Audio: $79.99 (regularly $129.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Hub Max: $199.99 (regularly $299) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Thermostat: $129.99 (regularly $179.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Doorbell (wired): $199 (regularly $299) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Chromecast: $29.99 (regularly $39.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Google Wifi three-pack: $199.99 (regularly $279.99) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Nest Mini: $29 (regularly $69) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Pixelbook Go with Intel Core m3, 8GB RAM, 64GB storage: $809 (regularly $879) — Available cheaper ($799) at Best Buy

Pixelbook Go with Intel i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage: $999 (regularly $1,149) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Pixelbook Go with Intel i5, 16GB RAM, 128GB storage: $1,199 (regularly $1,349) — Available at Best Buy for the same price

Google’s Black Friday promotions are set to end on October 2nd.

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

Image credit: Google

Source: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Telus to donate $1 million to BC flood relief efforts

Abbotsford, Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – November 17, 2021: Devestating Flood and black smoke from fire in the city and farmland after storm.

Telus has promised to give charities in British Columbia funds to assist in the ongoing catastrophe.

The telecom giant will give $100,000 each to the Canadian Red Cross, and several food banks across the province. $50,000 will go towards British Columbia’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA). $250,000 is also being donated to local charities and $500,000 is going towards health, network, and community services.

The company has made free virtual health care available to BC residents unable to seek medical care through the Telus Health MyCare app. Health professionals are available in multiple languages. Mental health counsellors, registered dieticians, and specialist referrals are some of the services available. Current patients who received prescriptions from the company can call 1-877-796-7979 if they need their medication rerouted to a different location.

“Our Telus team is deeply committed to giving back to the communities where we live, work and serve around the world,” Darren Entwistle, the company’s president and CEO, said in a press release. “In this regard, it is an honour to lend our support to British Columbians in the aftermath of the devastating storms and subsequent flooding that have ravaged many parts of our province.”

Telus announced it won’t apply any mobility overage charges to customers, is pausing home billing services and is deploying Wi-Fi to evacuation centres. The company is also working with the Sturgeon Slayers Conservation, a local fishing company, to share in-demand necessities like diapers and non-perishable food, with communities cut-off from mudslides and flooding.

The Telus Health MyCare app is available on iOS and Android.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: Telus

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Mobile Syrup

Amazon Canada is offering a slew of solid tech deals today

Black Friday 2021 is turning into a month of hot deals.

Although Amazon Canada stated in a press release that its deals will be offered in a two-day bonanza, there are plenty to consider scoring now, especially if you’re concerned about shipping delays this holiday season.

Below are several of Amazon’s best deals on tech.

Image credit: Amazon 

Source: Amazon Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Best Buy’s Osmo Toy sale discounts games your kids will love

We love technology and that comes from a passion for learning. It’s something we’d love to pass on to the next generation. One of the best gifts you can give your young one is a tool for learning. That’s where Osmo Toys come in.

If you don’t know, Osmo is an award-winning educational company that turns learning into play. With games for smart devices built specifically for children, Osmo offers a wide variety of options that will allow your kids to build their coding, creative, and literacy skills without even realizing it.

We’ve curated a list of the best Osmo Toys deals from Best Buy Canada to help you buy for the little ones in your life. Check it out below:

Osmo Genius Starter Kit: $97.99 (save $42)

Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit: $83.99 (save $36)

Osmo Creative Starter Kit: $62.99 (save $27)

Osmo Coding Starter Kit: $97.99 (save $42)

Osmo Super Studio Disney Princess Drawing Game: $20.99 (save $9)

OSMO Super Studio Mickey & Friends Drawing Game: $20.99 (save $9)

Osmo Pizza Company Game: $41.99 (save $18)

Osmo Math Wizard and the Magical Workshop Add-On: $55.99 (save $24)

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. 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

Finally, Google is redesigning the Play Store website

Finally! Google is reportedly redesigning the web version of the Play Store, a change that’s been a long time coming.

Android Police reports that the redesign is part of a server-side switch and isn’t widely available yet. Some people have had luck changing their Play Store to a different location (Korea and Taiwan reportedly work, although I couldn’t replicate it myself).

Regardless, Google redesigned Play Store goes from the old look (from the early days of Material Design) to what appears to be the current Play Store design blown up for larger displays. It generally looks good, although it really does look like the mobile Play Store stretched out for big screens on individual app pages.

Beyond that, there’s not a lot to say about the new Play Store design beyond that it’s modern, for better and worse. There’s now a navigation bar along the top for switching between apps and games. The Google account switcher in the top-right corner now hides a menu with access to subscriptions, order history and more.

The Games page features auto-playing trailers, there are scrollable screenshot galleries and more. Unfortunately, some aspects of the new design don’t work, likely due to the Play Store redesign being a work-in-progress still.

While I’m certainly excited for a refreshed Play Store website, I’m not sure how significant of a change it’ll be. I really only use the Play Store site to grab links to apps and games when I want to include them in stories I write for MobileSyrup — which, frankly, happens a lot.

In other words, your average user might not spend much time messing around with Play Store on the web. Regardless, the updated design is a move in the right direction and should further help unify Google’s web products.

Source: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Ericsson Canada and Concordia enter partnership to further AI knowledge and research 

April 18, 2019, Brazil. Ericsson logo on your mobile device. Ericsson is a Swedish-controlled technology company, manufacturer of fixed and mobile telephony equipment.

The Canadian division of information and communication technology company Ericsson is entering a new partnership with Concordia University to allow employees to expand their skill set.

Employees will enhance their artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) skills in this specialized program by working with a team of researchers and graduate students from the university.

They’ll be presented with lectures and projects that discuss big data, programming, ML, deep learning, and infrastructure, in a program promised to stray away from a traditional learning environment.

It will instead allow students to bring the challenges they face at work to class and have professors provide tailored concepts that answer these challenges.

The collaboration will give Ericsson employees a new set of resources to create AI projects in a market that’s continuously developing.

“Technology changes on the front lines quickly, and ensuring our workforce has the right skill set is critical for our industry and business to stay competitive in a global economy,” said Paul Baptista, the head of Montreal research and development for Ericsson Canada, in a press release.

The program advances cross-sector partnerships and will assist the companies 5G and wireless domain experts with AI and ML tools.

“The collaboration of our researchers and graduate students with experts from industry will provide players on all sides focused time and effort to foster innovation and creative solutions that will expedite the use of AI driving the economy,” said Mourad Debbabi, dean of the university’s Gina Cody School.

The institutions have a history of collaboration. In 2019, the two, along with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, created a security program to strengthen cybersecurity for future networks. A second collaboration came in 2020. Along with ENCQOR 5G, they created a new program to improve 5G network performance through cloud, AI, and edge computing technologies.

MobileSyrup has reached out to Ericsson for more information regarding when the program will begin and how employees can sign up. An update will be provided once the information is received.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Ericsson

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Mobile Syrup

New report from CIRA examines Canadians’ online behaviours, and it’s not all good

The demand for .ca domain names continues to stay strong.

A new report from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) says more people are registering for a .ca domain compared to pre-pandemic levels. This shows small businesses continue to engage in online activity in response to the pandemic.

The findings are summarized in the organization’s second addition insight report, examining trends in the second and third quarters of 2021 (between April and September).

The report shows Ontario continues to hold the title of having the most registered .ca domains at 1.4 million. British Columbia and Alberta have seen explosive growth since trends were last examined between January and March, and published in the first report by the CIRA. BC added 14,000 new domains and Alberta 8,000.

Overall, Amazon Canada was the most visited site. Google, the Canadian government’s official website, Kijiji, and realtor.ca round out the top five.

The report shows a majority of the .ca domains (39.72 percent) fall under the category of website errors. This occurs when there are “bad connections” with the site and can appear as HTTP errors, DNS errors, blocked sites, invalid responses, and connection errors.

Just under 27 percent of domains are active and roughly 20 percent are “parked,” meaning it’s a registered domain that’s not currently being used.

“As domain names are relatively inexpensive, it’s not uncommon to see many parked domains that are waiting on a brilliant idea,” the report notes.

About 12 percent of the domains are redirected and 2.84 percent are tagged as “low content:” active sites with little content.

Safety also continues to be a priority for domain holders. 66 percent of active domains have a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, also known as the little green padlock icon that appears next to a secure URL. This is an 11 percent increase from the last report and ensures the identity of the website for secure connections.

But not all news is good. This domain ranked 0.03 on the Badness Index Ranking. It examines the most abused domains in the world and takes into account if it’s used to send spam or host malware. While it’s lower than .eu (0.12) and .net (0.94), it’s an increase from the 0.01 reported in the first quarter.

Source: CIRA

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Mobile Syrup

OnwardMobility still doesn’t have any update on its BlackBerry phone

U.S.-based mobile security company OnwardMobility has still not provided an update on its promised BlackBerry-branded phone.

As PCMag notes, OnwardMobility said the handset would launch sometime in 2021, a window that will have passed in just under six weeks. The phone was originally unveiled in August 2020 for a release in the “first half of 2021,” with BlackBerry at the time saying it was “thrilled” to partner with the Texas-based company.

However, there’s since been no update. In a new statement to PCMag, an OnwardMobility spokesperson said the company is “unable to share more details or conduct any interviews.”

Given the silence, it doesn’t seem like we’ll get any form of update on the phone in the next six weeks, much less an actual release. Since OnwardMobility is keeping mum on the matter, it’s also unclear what sorts of issues the phone might have run into.

All we have to go off is that the phone — assuming it still exists — was to be a 5G Android handset that sports a physical keyboard.

The OnwardMobility BlackBerry phone was particularly notable since China-based TCL announced stopped selling BlackBerry-branded devices last year and that it lost the rights to design or manufacture new ones. Therefore, OnwardMobility’s device was positioned as an alternative for fans of the Canadian phone brand.

Otherwise, the last BlackBerry device to be released in North America was the BlackBerry Key2 LE.

Source: PCMag

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Mobile Syrup

Google’s 2nd-gen Nest Hub smart display is roughly 50 percent off at Best Buy

If you want a smart display and you’re already part of Google’s smart home ecosystem, this deal on the 2nd-gen Nest Hub is pretty unbeatable.

The display is down to just $69.99 at Best Buy in Canada, which is $60 off its usual $120 price tag. If you want to learn more about the pretty excellent smart display that also includes sleep tracking features, check out MobileSyrup managing editor Patrick O’Rourke’s review of the Nest Hub (2021).

You can buy the 2nd-gen Nest Hub from Best Buy for $69.99 here.

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