Author: Mobile Syrup

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Paida launches online gaming platform in beta, partners with Xbox Canada and Razer

Vancouver-based company Paida has announced the beta launch of its online gaming portal. Designed to empower women and allies of all genders, Paida seeks to deliver a secure and inclusive environment for players.

Starting now, anyone can create an account via Paida’s website and take the “Paida Pledge”. This is in place to denounce online harassment, abuse, and will also encourage players to sign up for a subscription membership. Currently, the company is offering a 60-free trial in order to get a feel of what the proprietary gaming portal offers.

Paida is committed to providing additional perks to members outside of providing an inclusive environment. Members will be able to access an “impressive library of games” that can be used to host and play in tournaments.

Original content including on-demand classes, written editorials, podcasts, and audiobooks will also be available. This will include a free podcast hosted by Audrey Adair dubbed ‘The Move Makers Podcast.’ It will be available on iTunes and Spotify and will feature interviews with women in the games industry. Season one features six episodes, one of which will include Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey, which is available today. Jeannail “CuddleCore” Carter and Kelsey “KelseyDangerous” Impicciche are also official ambassadors, alongside Harvey.

Plus, members will have access to new and affordable technology thanks to Paida partners Xbox Canada and Razer. Both Xbox Canada and Razer have joined as founding partners. Members will be given access to various titles from the Xbox Game Pass library as well as “collaborative content”. Prizes and giveaways will be hosted by Razer, including Razer Gold, Peripherals, and Paida-themes Razer Custom Laptop skins.

“At Xbox Canada, we believe that gaming is for everyone. It should be inclusive and accessible to all. Paida shares these same values, which is why this collaboration is such a natural fit,” said Christina Verdurmen, integrated Marketing Communications Lead at Xbox Canada.

Women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people of colour have often found themselves the target of harassment within the gaming industry. Paida’s platform provides a safe space where a budding community can support and play games with one another without being excluded or harassed. Paida is also providing valuable learning material to better educate the community, which ideally could be used outside of the gaming portal.

A Paida subscription costs $9.99 USD (roughly $12.50 CAD) per month.

Image credit: Paida

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Android 12 custom ROM can bring new life into your old Google Pixel 2 XL

Google’s Pixel 2 XL can now use Android 12 thanks to a custom ROM that includes new features such as ‘Material You,’ the redesigned Quick Settings panel and more updates.

Google officially ended its support of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in December 2020. For 11 or so odd months, those devices no longer received updates or security patches. However, if you’re a little technically inclined, you can now dust off the Pixel 2 XL and give Android 12 a whirl.

ProtonAOSP offers Pixel 2 XL users a way to try Android 12 on their hardware. Rather than installing a GSI build of the software, ProtonAOSP provides a more streamlined and accessible method.

To install the ProtonAOSP Android 12 ROM, users will be required to unlock the bootloader on the device. Following that, the bundled flash-all script will be required to have been used in order to install the ROM correctly. If the installation fails, allocating more storage may solve the issue.

Due to the ProtonAOSP Android 12 ROM not being officially supported by Google, bugs and performance issues can be expected. On the more serious side, users can run into issues with functional Wi-Fi service on their device or Premissive SELinux permission. Other issues are likely to exist. However, none have been reported as of the time of writing.

For users who enjoy holding on to their devices but don’t want to feel left behind when it comes to software, this Android 12 ROM should speak to Pixel 2 XL owners. It may be slightly obtuse to get working. Though, it’s a solution that wasn’t exactly expected following Google’s decision to stop supporting the Pixel 2 family.

As of now, ProtonAOSP’s ROM is only available for the Pixel 2 XL. However, a build for the standard Google Pixel 2 is said to be in the works. No release window has been given for that, however.

Source: AndroidPolice

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 series will reportedly offer similar selfie camera

Expect similar selfie camera shots from Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy S22 series.

According to a leak from the Netherlands-based publication, GalaxyClub, Samsung is expected to feature the same 10-megapixel selfie sensor specs in its S22 and S22+ as it does in the S21 and S21+.

This is the fourth year in a row that Samsung’s S Series flagship has featured this sized sensor, going back as far as the S10. That said, the S22 Ultra will include a 40-megapixel selfie sensor, though this is still the same as both the S21 Ultra and S20 Ultra.

GalaxyClub didn’t provide any other information about the S22’s selfie camera, so there’s a possibility it could feature upgrades beyond its sensor size.

Based on recent leaks, Samsung’s S22 series is starting to look like another minor update to the S Series similar to the S21 lineup. With that in mind, last week rumours leaked regarding the S22 Ultra’s ability to dock the S Pen stylus, so at least one of the devices in the series could feature notable upgrades.

Source: GalaxyClub

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Samsung’s Black Friday promos offers discounts on Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G and more

Samsung has officially laid out its Black Friday promotional plans.

Starting now, many of the company’s devices ranging from tablets to smartphones and wearables will be available at a discount until early December. Included in the promo are discounts are recently released devices like the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Watch 4, and more.

Have a look at the Black Friday deals offered by Samsung:

Smartphones

  • Galaxy Z Flip 3: $1,259.99 (save $130 between November 16th and December 2th)
  • Galaxy S21 Series: Starting at $1,129.99 (save $150 on 256GB model between November 16th and December 2nd)
  • Galaxy A52 5G: $659.99 (save $170 between November 16th and December 2nd)

Tablets

  • Galaxy Tab S7+: $919.99 (save $450 between November 24th and December 2nd)
  • Galaxy Tab S7 FE: $669.99 (save $240 between November 10th and December 2nd)

Laptop

Wearables

  • Galaxy Watch 4: $329.99 (save $80 between November 16th and December 9th)
  • Samsung’s Black Friday deals run until December 9th at the latest.

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

Source: Samsung

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google Home update on Android brings digital TV remote to the masses

Google is finally bringing its Android TV/Google TV remote to the Google Home app — at least on Android, and in the U.S. only.

While the tech giant has been making strides to improve its virtual TV remote and its availability, the latest version of the Google Home app is the perfect home for it; I just wish it would finally roll it out in Canada.

A report from 9to5Google states that the remote function is in ‘version 2.46’ of the Google Home app and that it’s currently rolling out to Android users. The update is set to come to iOS as well, but it’s uncertain when that update will release.

Google rolled out its new virtual remote within the Google TV app back in 2020. This app took its sweet time coming to Canada and finally (kind of) launched here in September of 2021. While Google confirmed the app is officially coming, two months later, its Play Store listing still directs me to Google Play Movies and TV.

Then when Android 12 launched, Google said it would bring new Remote functions to the ‘Quick Toggles’ at the top of the notification shade. While this is true, I haven’t been able to sync it with my Google TV. This is likely because there’s no real Google TV app in Canada to set up the remote with.

9to5Google says that the version of the Google Home app that’s currently rolling out to Android phones also features the remote. While I’m happy about this because the Google Home app already has a spot on my home screen, I’m not seeing any app updates or the ability to trigger the remote on any of my Android devices yet.

If you’re luckier than me and can access the remote function, 9to5Google says you need to input a pairing code to connect the remote to your phone. This is likely why the Quick Toggle remote isn’t working for me.

Source: 9to5Google

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google reportedly re-sent Verizon-specific Android 12 update to most Pixels

If you see a new update on your Pixel today, you probably shouldn’t download it.

It appears Google may have re-issued the Android 12 update to older Pixel phones — so far, everything from the Pixel 3a to the 5 (or 5a if you live in a market where that phone is available) appears to be affected. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, however, don’t seem to be. Worse, it looks like Google issued the U.S.-based carrier Verizon’s specific Android 12 updates to non-Verizon Pixel phones.

According to reports from 9to5Google and Android Authority, some users who have updated their Pixels with this new update now have build numbers matching the Verizon Android 12 update. Further, others examined the MD5 checksum (a string of numbers used to uniquely identify a file) and found it matches the Verizon update.

The main difference between the Verizon and non-Verizon variants likely comes down to radio bands. Android Authority notes that Verizon offers mmWave 5G on devices with hardware to support it. The U.S. carrier also uses a CDMA-based network while many other places use GSM. While installing the update may not break anything, it’s also probably better not to risk it.

Besides, the whole update totals over 1.5GB, which can be pretty large (especially if you pay by the gig for your internet).

It’s not clear how widespread the problem is, but some U.K. Pixel owners report receiving the update. Ultimately, if you have a Pixel and you get a prompt for a large Android 12 update, you probably shouldn’t install it.

Source: 9to5Google, Android Authority

Categories
Mobile Syrup

PlayStation Store is discounting tons of games up to 80 percent off

Sony’s PlayStation Store has a couple of promotions ongoing offering discounts on a variety of titles. These are some pretty big deals and hit games discounted such as Far Cry 5, Hitman 3 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Some of the games are on sale until November 20th, while others are available until December 2nd.

Here are the deals available until November 20th:

This sale has a variety of more games at a discounted rate like Control, Anthem, Curse of the Dead Gods and so many more that you can find, here.

The deals below are available until December 2nd:

You can find all of these deals, here.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google’s Pixel 6 series may get face unlock in future update

The rumoured face unlock feature for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro may arrive in a future update, like one of Google’s regular Pixel feature drops.

According to an XDA Recognized Developer who goes by ‘Freak07’ (@mile_freak07 on Twitter), Pixel 6 devices still include code related to face unlock in the ‘PowerHAL’ config file. In a series of tweets, Freak07 said that Google added a tool for face unlock to the config file under the internal codename ‘Tuscany’ back in July.

Freak07 also shared a link to a commit about face unlock, which seems to focus on adjusting power usage to save battery.

Some readers may remember that leaked marketing material from before the Pixel 6 launch showed off the face unlock feature. However, face unlock wasn’t on the Pixel 6 series at launch. Although it’s unclear why Google didn’t include face unlock — perhaps there were too many bugs, or maybe developers weren’t able to reduce the battery hit caused by Tuscany.

Regardless, some code for face unlock remains in the Pixel 6 PowerHAL file. That could mean Google’s working on bringing face unlock to Pixel 6 phones in the future, or it could just be some leftover code from previous work on the file.

Even if Google did bring face unlock to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, it’s not clear how it’d work. The only other Pixels with face unlock were the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, which had dedicated hardware for it. The Pixel 6 series doesn’t have that hardware, which likely means the phone would use the front-facing camera — as we’ve learned with similar attempts from other phones, camera-based face unlock isn’t exactly secure or reliable.

Source: Freak07 (Twitter), Google Git, XDA Developers Via: Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

YouTube to hide dislike count across the platform, dislike button will remain active

YouTube has formally announced that it will make video dislike counts private across all YouTube videos. This follows an experimental phase where the company measured ways to protect creators from harassment and dislike attacks.

The changes are said to be gradually rolling out today. Once in effect, a viewer will still be able to leave feedback by way of using the dislike button. However, contrary to how the system previously worked, the total number of dislikes will not be viewable by the public. Instead, that metric will only be shown to the creator of the channel.

On Google’s official YouTube blog, the company states that earlier this year, it experimented with ways to protect content creators and channels from targeted dislike attacks. As a part of this experiment, YouTube hid the dislike count and found that viewers were less likely to drive the total number up. As such, this measure will soon be used across the board. This will, hopefully, deter viewers from driving up the dislike numbers purely based on mob mentality.

Although not stated by YouTube, it’s within reason to assume larger companies and advertisers were none too keen to see their videos receive an overwhelmingly negative like to dislike ratio. One notable standout is the ‘Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack — Overview Trailer’, which received 18K likes and 173K dislikes. YouTube itself has been the victim of dislike attacks as evident by its annual ‘Rewind‘ videos (which are dead).

YouTube assures users that the dislike button can still be used to tune recommendations and share feedback to individual creators. The company is aware that this transition may not be favoured by all. Though, YouTube states that it believes “this is the right thing to do for the platform.”

Source: YouTube

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Valve delays Steam Deck until 2022 due to ongoing supply-chain issues

Valve has revealed that its upcoming Switch-like handheld Steam Deck has been delayed until February 2022. The portable console was originally scheduled to release this holiday season.

“We’re sorry about this — we did our best to work around the global supply chain issues, but due to material shortages, components aren’t reaching our manufacturing facilities in time for us to meet our initial launch dates,” reads a statement from Valve, confirming that the shortage is tied to the ongoing worldwide chip shortage.

“Based on our updated build estimates, Steam Deck will start shipping to customers in February 2022. This will be the new start date of the reservation queue — all reservation holders keep their place in line but dates will shift back accordingly.”

If you’ve pre-ordered the handheld PC, you’ll likely see a new shipping date appear on your account shortly.

Valve’s Steamdeck features a 7-inch screen with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution (16:10 aspect ratio). It runs a custom AMD APU, which Valve says is “optimized” for handheld gaming. Further, it sports Zen 2 + RDNA 2, allowing it to run AAA games. Other features include Bluetooth support for controllers and headphones and a USB-C charging port.

The base model Steam Deck starts at $499 in Canada.

Source: Valve