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Rogers reportedly sending customers 5GB of free bonus data again

Rogers is reportedly sending out offers with 5GB of bonus data once again.

RedFlagDeals user ‘zumi78878’ posted about the offer, which came via text. The message said that 5GB of bonus data was added to their account. Other Rogers customers chimed in on RFD, noting that they had also received texts or emails from Rogers about the bonus.

Moreover, a link to a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page was shared with some extra details about the bonus data. According to that page, the 5GB bonus is added automatically and customers don’t need to do anything. Further, it notes that the 5GB bonus lasts for 15 months. Finally, the FAQ page notes that customers should be able to carry the bonus over to another plan, but advises people to contact support for assistance since “some price plan changes and device upgrades may cause the offer to be dropped from your account.”

To check if the 5GB bonus data was added to your account, you can sign in to your Rogers account and navigate to ‘Wireless Usage’ under ‘Usage & Services.’ The bonus data should be reflected there.

Unfortunately, if you didn’t get the text or email about the bonus, there’s a good chance you won’t get it. Some customers may get lucky if they contact Rogers, but it seems like your mileage may vary significantly.

That said, Rogers seems to offer these 5GB bonus data giveaways fairly often. The carrier gave customers similar 5GB data bonuses in September this year and June last year. If you miss out on this round, maybe you’ll get the bonus in the future.

Source: RedFlagDeals, Rogers

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 will reportedly feature Qualcomm chipset in Asian and African markets

As expected, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 variant will reportedly release in two different variants, including one with its Exynos processor and the other with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.

Typically, the Qualcomm variant is only available in the U.S. and Canada, but it now seems like the South Korean company is bringing the processor to other countries.

According to a leak first spotted by Max Weinbach, the Galaxy S22 Series in the U.K, Europe and South Korea will sport Samsung’s Exynos chipset. On the other hand, the S22 series in U.S., Canada, Africa and the rest of Asia, will feature Qualcomm’s still-unannounced (but very expected) Snapdragon 898 processor.

The African and non-South Korean Asian market will have three phones with the model numbers (SM-S901E, SM-S906E and SM-S908E) model numbers. According to Android Police, these phones will feature other spec differences, but we don’t know specifics yet. It’s likely we’ll see a difference in RAM and storage in these handsets.

It’s currently unclear why Samsung would launch the S22 series in Asia and Africa with a Qualcomm chipset, but it’s possible it has something to do with the ongoing worldwide chip shortage.

Source: Max Winebach, Android Police 

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Mobile Syrup

Leaked GTA Trilogy footage offers look at minor graphical improvements

As expected, GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition’s graphical upgrade isn’t that significant.

Several clips of gameplay for the upcoming re-release of Rockstar’s open-world crime series — including GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas — have appeared on YouTube, offering a glimpse at what the remakes look like. While the remasters are due to release later this week, Rockstar hasn’t shown off any gameplay footage — and it’s easy to see why.

While some textures seem to have been reworked and the resolution has been improved, visually, the graphics look extremely flat and lack the detail featured in GTA V and GTA IV. In particular, character models look very flat and almost like toys. As far as remakes go, it looks like at least from a visual perspective, Rockstar didn’t put much effort into the GTA Trilogy.

You can check out the leaked footage for yourself above.

On the gameplay side, a Reddit user that uploaded a clip of San Andreas says driving controls are improved and that a new sensitivity slider improves the shooting experience.

In the past, Rockstar has said that the GTA Trilogy features “across-the-board upgrades” like increased draw distance, better visuals and updated controls.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy will release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC on November 11th. iOS and Android versions of the game will launch in the first half of 2022.

Image credit: okayjosh (YouTube)

Source: okayjosh (YouTube) Via: The Verge 

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Mobile Syrup

Leaked GTA Trilogy footage offers look at minor graphical improvements

As expected, GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition’s graphical upgrade isn’t that significant.

Several clips of gameplay for the upcoming re-release of Rockstar’s open-world crime series — including GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas — have appeared on YouTube, offering a glimpse at what the remakes look like. While the remasters are due to release later this week, Rockstar hasn’t shown off any gameplay footage — and it’s easy to see why.

While some textures seem to have been reworked and the resolution has been improved, visually, the graphics look extremely flat and lack the detail featured in GTA V and GTA IV. In particular, character models look very flat and almost like toys. As far as remakes go, it looks like at least from a visual perspective, Rockstar didn’t put much effort into the GTA Trilogy.

You can check out the leaked footage for yourself above.

On the gameplay side, a Reddit user that uploaded a clip of San Andreas says driving controls are improved and that a new sensitivity slider improves the shooting experience.

In the past, Rockstar has said that the GTA Trilogy features “across-the-board upgrades” like increased draw distance, better visuals and updated controls.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy will release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC on November 11th. iOS and Android versions of the game will launch in the first half of 2022.

Image credit: okayjosh (YouTube)

Source: okayjosh (YouTube) Via: The Verge 

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s latest iOS beta lets you manually scan for unwanted AirTags

A new feature included in iOS 15.2’s second beta adds the option within the ‘Find My’ app to manually scan the area around you for devices that are part of Apple’s object locating platform that might be tracking you.

As first reported by MacRumors, the feature is available through the ‘Items That Can Track Me’ option under the Find My item menu.

Once you tap the setting, Find My lists all of the devices nearby that you don’t own, but that could potentially still be tracking you. You’re then given the option to disable the device from tracking you and a ‘Help Return Lost Items’ setting that replaces the ‘Identify Found Item’ message currently included in this menu.

While Apple’s AirTags remain the most impressive Bluetooth tracking device out there, given the size of the company’s Find My network, it can more easily be used for nefarious purposes than competing crowd-sourced networks from Bluetooth tracker companies like Tile.

These new AirTags features, which are set to make their way to the final version of iOS 15.2, seem to be in response to criticism that the tackers can easily be used to track people rather than objects.

Over the last few months, Apple has introduced other changes to its Bluetooth tracker to mitigate this issue, including AirTags only being required to spend eight to 24 hours away from its owner before emitting a warning noise, instead of three days. The company is also working on an Android app that notifies users of unwanted AirTags tracking them.

It’s likely the public version of iOS 15.2 will release in the coming weeks.

Source: MacRumors

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Mobile Syrup

Anker CEO says next-gen charging tech will offer 20-minute charge times

Charging accessory company Anker’s CEO says smartphones will soon charge from empty to full in as little as 20 minutes thanks to continued improvements in charging technology.

In an interview with The Verge’s Nilay Patel (which is well worth checking out if you’re interested in the company or charging tech), Anker CEO Steven Yang talked up the company’s Gallium Nitride (GaN) chargers. GaN chargers allow Anker to pack higher wattage charging into smaller charging bricks and it’s a trend Yang says will continue:

“We sold a lot of GaN chargers already in the past few years, and we launched the second generation — we call them GaN2 — earlier this year. GaN2 chargers can now do 65 watts in a very small cubic space as well. We’re actually about to launch GaN3 next year, which will bring the charger size even smaller and increase the power rating as well.”

Yang also discussed GaN in terms of charge times, noting that “wattage is not a customer-friendly approach.” Starting with the five-watt chargers available years ago, those would charge a phone in around three hours. Yang said 20W chargers cut that to about an hour and 20 minutes, while 40W and 60W chargers cut that to 30-40 minutes. Yang also mentioned some companies are trying 120W, which gets charge times under 20 minutes. And while Yang didn’t explicitly mention it, it’s also worth noting that as charging times have decreased, battery sizes have grown.

The interview with Yang revealed some other interesting tidbits as well. For one, Yang noted that Apple’s decision not to include chargers in the box boosted its sales:

“Previously, a lot of users didn’t buy a charger by itself. Per our survey, about 50 percent of those users still just go back to using their old chargers, because they have saved some over the years. But more and more people are starting to shop for individual chargers.”

Yang also seemed to agree with Apple’s argument about not including chargers to reduce e-waste — an argument that some have found hard to believe.

Finally, Yang also touched on Apple’s MFI certification system, Thunderbolt and the swatch of charging companies recently booted of Amazon for gaming the retailer’s review system. You can check out the full interview here.

Source: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Google Store discounts Nest Hub Max, Nest Thermostat and more

The Google Store is offering a couple of deals on Nest products before its big Black Friday sale.

You’ll be able to save money on the Nest Hub Max, Nest Thermostat and Nest Hub 2nd gen and Nest Doorbell wired.

These products will be on sale until November 11th.

The Nest Hub 2nd-gen and Nest Doorbell wired is on sale for $348.99 and previously cost $428.99. The sale runs until November 18th. You’ll need to add both products to your cart to get the discount.

Source: Google Store

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Mobile Syrup

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl add a new way to find Legendaries

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will include a new feature that allows players meet Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.

Ramanas Park lets players to pick up ‘Slates’ from around the region and activate them to find first-gen and second-gen Legendary Pokémon. You can only enter Ramanas Park after you’ve gone through the Hall of Fame.

Depending on whether you have Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl, you’ll get access to either Lugia, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres or Ho-Oh, Suicune, Entei and Raikou.

Also, if you have Pokémon Sword/Shield or Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee you can get Mythical Pocket Monsters Jirachi and Mew.

According to the details on the Official Pokémon YouTube Channel, there will be an update on November 11th that adds communications features to Grand Underground, Super Contest Shows, receiving items through Mystery Gift and the ability to enter Ramanas Park.

It’s worth mentioning that the update on November 11th is rather weird given Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launch on November 19th. With all of this mind, all you need to know is that the game will feature a day-one patch.

Source: Pokémon (YouTube)

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Mobile Syrup

Amazon Canada’s ‘Prime Early Access’ tech deals now live

Black Friday is coming up in a couple weeks and there will surely be a slew of new deals from Amazon on that day. However, with global shipping delays still common, it might make sense to do your shopping early this year.

Below are some of Amazon’s best ‘Prime Early Access’ deals on tech products:

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: Amazon Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Judge denies Apple’s request to delay deadline to add alternate payment options

Apple’s request to scrap a December 9th deadline to change its App Store policies was denied.

Apple asked U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to allow the company to implement the new app store requirements at its own pace. As a refresher, Gonzalez Rogers previously ruled that Apple would need to allow direct communications between users and app makers. Additionally, the company would need to allow app makers to include links to the web to complete transactions, giving developers and customers alternate methods of paying for content.

At the time, the judge gave Apple 90 days to change the rules, but the iPhone-maker argued that wasn’t enough time. Instead, the company wants the deadline removed so it won’t have to rush the adjustment. Apple’s lawyer argued that the company can’t make policy changes at a global level quickly. The lawyer claimed it would take months to figure out the engineering, economic, business and other issues.

However, according to Bloomberg, Gonzalez Rogers responded: “The problem is that you haven’t asked for additional time.” Instead, she said Apple is seeking her blessing to take years to make the change she ordered.

Epic Games’ lawyers also weighed in, arguing that “Apple does nothing unless it is forced to do it” and suggesting that the company can’t be trusted to sort out the policy changes on its own.

Gonzalez Rogers wrote in her decision that Apple wanted “an open-ended stay with no requirement that it make an effort to comply.” Further, she wrote that there were “multiple avenues” Apple could take to comply that wouldn’t harm users, despite what the company argued.

“The Court is not convinced, but nor is it here to micromanage. Consumers are quite used to linking from an app to a web browser. Other than, perhaps, needing time to establish Guidelines, Apple has provided no credible reason for the Court to believe that the injunction would cause the professed devastation.”

Apple confirmed to The Verge that it plans to appeal to the Ninth Circuit for a stay.

Source: MacRumors, Bloomberg, The Verge