Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Shoppers offering 50,000 Optimum points on $150+ online purchases today only

Shoppers Drug Mart is back again with another limited-time PC Optimum points offer. Today only, you can get 50,000 bonus points when spending $150 or more online at Shoppers Drug Mart.

50,000 Optimum points have a value of about $50 when redeemed at participating locations, which effectively makes this a ‘spend $150 and get $50 back’ offer.

While the deal is, unfortunately, only available on November 3rd, it’s worth noting that Shoppers often does bonus Optimum point offers like this. Just a few days ago the retailer gave away 40,000 points on purchases of $125 or more. In other words, if you miss this round of points there will probably be another points deal soon.

As Canada’s resident video game deals expert ‘Lbabinz‘ points out, the Shoppers Optimum points offer is particularly good because it works on games, consoles and other accessories. That means you can buy $150 in games and gaming accessories and get 50,000 points to redeem on future game purchases.

Of course, if you don’t care for games, there are plenty of other things you can buy from Shoppers to get those 50,000 points. Those interested can learn more about the offer here. And if you don’t have a PC Optimum points account, you can sign up for one here.

Source: Shoppers Drug Mart Via: Lbabinz

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Mobile Syrup

Select Fitbit smartwatches now on sale by up to 38 percent off

Heading into 2022 you might want to track your health, or not! If you do, then there are apps on your phone to do this or you can go to another level with an Apple Watch or a Fitbit.

While there is a massive difference in price and features, with the Apple Watch being the more expensive route. Fitbit offers the basics of fitness tracking. Amazon Canada is having a sale that you may want to check out. Both the Fitbit Inspire 2 and the Fitbit Versa 3 are now discounted by 38 percent and 33 percent, respectively.

Source: Amazon Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Several Nanoleaf light panels are currently on sale

If you’re looking to add a little light to your home, Toronto-based Nanoleaf’s various light panels are a great option.

Just ahead of Black Friday, several of the smart home lighting company’s products are on sale, including, even, its recently released wood panel-like Elements Starter Kit.

Below are all of the offers:

For more on Nanoleaf’s products, check out Jon Lamont’s in-depth look at the company’s Elements light panels.

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Mobile Syrup

Zillow’s strategy backfires, aims to pitch over 7,000 houses to institutional investors

In an effort to recover from a buying-spree blunder in its home-flipping business, Zillow is now trying to sell around 7,000 houses to recoup roughly $2.8 billion ($3.47 billion CAD).

According to a Bloomberg report, Zillow purchased the houses with the intent to sell them to potential homeowners and landlords, but is now looking to sell the properties to investors at a loss.

Zillow purchases houses from sellers and goes through repairs and renovations to list them for sale, but considering that the pandemic’s financial effects are still being felt globally, Zillow’s buying-spree boon quickly turned into an issue for the company.

According to an October 31st report from KeyBanc Capital Markets (via Bloomberg), an analysis of 650 Zillow-owned properties revealed that two-thirds were listed for less than the price Zillow paid for them.

Bloomberg also states that Zillow informed investors in October that it would no longer be purchasing homes, citing labour shortages in construction and renovation. In the second quarter, the company purchased more than 3,800 homes, putting it on track to meet its declared target of 5,000 homes by 2024. Due to the increased number of houses, the company is now having difficulty finding labour to remodel the houses.

However, the surplus inventory selling at a loss rather than a profit might be the actual reason why Zillow wants to put a halt on new purchases and sell off the houses it has already acquired.

Check out Zillow and its listings in Canada here.

Image credit: Zillow

Source: Bloomberg

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Mobile Syrup

Newfoundland health services overwhelmed by potential ransomware attack

Following a ransomware attack targeted the Toronto Transit Commission late last week, a new reported attack is currently disrupting healthcare services in Newfoundland.

The attack, which was detected over the weekend, has had a significant impact on the Atlantic province’s healthcare system.

“This led to progressive failure of what’s been described to me as the brain of the data center and a loss of functionality and systems across the regional health authorities,” said Health Minister John Haggie in a statement

The disruption of healthcare services was caused by a ransomware assault, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which encrypts computer files and demands money to release them. The health authority’s systems have been disrupted in a variety of ways, including the inability to register new patients and the complete failure of its email system.

The Eastern Regional Health Authority’s chief executive officer David Diamond says that emergency treatments would continue without delay, whereas, all other appointments would be rescheduled.

Further, COVID-19 testing is being shifted away from computerized and phone appointments, and instead be done on a drop-in basis, according to Haggie. The website that delivers test results has been hampered too. Now, public health authorities will let people know if they are COVID-19 positive over the phone. It’s worth noting that the attack has had no effect on vaccination sites.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information, which manages the province’s IT requirements, including electronic health records, and telecommunications operator Bell Aliant are working on the issue, according to Haggie, but there is no clear date for when things will be back to normal.

Source: Reuters

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Mobile Syrup

Nintendo’s Switch Online N64 controllers out of stock until 2022

If you were hoping to snag one of Nintendo’s official N64 controllers for the Switch for Christmas, we’ve got some bad news for you.

The Japanese gaming giant has confirmed that the retro gamepad is currently unavailable and isn’t expected to be restocked until sometime next year.

The out-of-stock message shows up on Nintendo’s American and Canadian websites. Nintendo is the exclusive vendor of the controller, so you’ll have to turn to a third-party seller in the coming weeks if you really want one. (It’s worth noting that at the time of writing, the $64.99 Sega Genesis controller is still available.)

Priced at $64.99 CAD, the controller is a replica of the original gamepad that was packaged with the N64. Nintendo has been selling the controller exclusively to Switch Online subscribers to coincide with the launch of the service’s Expansion Pack tier.

This membership costs $63.99 for a 12-month Individual Membership (one account) or $99.99 for a 12-month Family Membership and offers access to a selection of emulated N64 and Sega Genesis titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

However, that some of these games, including Ocarina of Time, feature technical bugs like sound delays and frame rate drops, according to Switch Online users.

Image credit: Flickr — T. Cox

Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft offering three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC for $1

Microsoft has kicked off a new promotion that provides three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC for only $1.

Normally, the company offers one month of the service for $1.

This deal is intended for new Game Pass subscribers. That said, it’s important to note that your mileage may vary on this. Some RedFlagDeals users report that they’ve been able to cancel their membership and successfully claim the three-month, $1 offer. Others, meanwhile, say they had no such luck.

If you are able to take advantage of it, though, it’s worth mentioning that this promotion comes amid a period of several major Xbox games coming back-to-back to Game Pass for PC, including the recently released Age of Empires IV and the upcoming Forza Horizon 5 (November 9th) and Halo Infinite (December 8th).

Altogether, there are more than 200 games available on Game Pass for PC.

For more on Game Pass, click here to find out what’s coming to the service later this month.

Via: RedFlagDeals

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Mobile Syrup

Niantic is shutting down Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in January 2022

Niantic has confirmed that it will soon be discontinuing its Harry Potter: Wizards Unite mobile game.

In a blog post, the San Francisco-based gaming giant said Wizards Unite will be delisted from the App Store and Play Store on December 6th, 2021, ahead of a full January 31st, 2022 shutdown. In-app purchases will also cease on December 6th.

Leading up to the shutdown, Niantic is offering bonus XP and other in-game rewards, as well as a promise that the game’s two-year narrative arc featuring Harry and Hermione will be resolved. A full breakdown of all of the gameplay changes taking effect starting today can be found here.

Wizards Unite originally launched in June 2019 as Warner Bros.’ response to Pokémon Go, also developed by Niantic. The game took the location-based, augmented reality framework of Pokémon Go and applied a Harry Potter coat of paint.

Set after the Battle of Hogwarts, Wizards Unite tasks players with going around to locate mystical creatures and items and “unconfound” them, as well as fight dark wizards. The game allows you to choose your wizarding house, their wand and their profession (Professor, Auror or Magizoologist).

However, the game just never seemed to quite take off, despite the massive popularity of the Harry Potter brand. According to the analytics firm Sensor Tower, Wizards Unite has only generated $4.7 million USD (about $5.9 million CAD) in revenue so far in 2021. By contrast, Pokémon Go has topped $1 billion USD (roughly 1.2 billion CAD) this year alone. Overall, Wizards Unite‘s to-date revenue sits at only $40 million USD (about $50 million CAD).

Looking ahead, Niantic says it has the recently launched Pikmin Bloom and the upcoming Transformers: Heavy Metal in the works. Of course, the ever-popular Pokémon Go will also continue to receive support.

Altogether, the company notes that it has “nine games and apps in our development pipeline.”

Image credit: Niantic/Warner Bros.

Source: Niantic

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel 6/6 Pro buyers that missed out on the free Pixel Buds A-Series – Check your email

Google’s latest Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro pre-orders in Canada and the U.S. qualify for a free pair of Pixel Buds A-Series.

We recently shared that if you rushed through your order and forgot to add the free Pixel Buds, you don’t need to worry. Google said that customers who didn’t add the earbuds to their cart will still receive them via an email with a redeemable code. Well, those emails have started hitting Canadian customers’ inboxes today.

Simply click ‘Redeem Offer’ in the email, select the colour of A-Series buds you want (the ‘Dark Olive’ colourway is sold out), and proceed to checkout. A 100 percent discount coupon code will automatically be added to your order, changing the price from $139 to $0.

And that’s it. Once you’ve placed the order, you can sit back and relax. Your Pixel Buds A-Series will be delivered to your doorstep, hopefully, before your Pixel 6/6 Pro arrives.

For more on the Pixel Buds A-Series, check out our in-depth look at the wireless earbuds.

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Mobile Syrup

Tesla might finally open its charging infrastructure to other EV makers

Tesla has started selling a home charger with a J1772 connector instead of the standard proprietary Tesla plug.

Since this announcement follows news that Tesla will allow all electric vehicles (EVs) to use its chargers in the Netherlands, it looks like the automaker might be opening up its walled garden. While the new J1772 connector isn’t as prevalent in Canada as CSS charging ports, it’s exciting to see Tesla take other EVs seriously.

The home charger isn’t that significant of a deal, of course, since you can buy at-home J1772 connectors from various companies. Still, the fact that Tesla is now selling one could mean that the company might consider offering a second port on its cars like the Porsche Taycan, or that it could be just looking to make more revenue off of non-Tesla EV owners.

The more exciting Tesla charger news is that the company is pilot-testing allowing other EVs to use its fast chargers in the Netherlands. So far, this test only applies to 10 chargers, and it costs non-tesla cars more to use those locations. This has been a long time coming in Europe since Tesla vehicles sold there require a CSS charger and not the proprietary Tesla plug used in North America.

This means that for years EV drivers in Europe could physically plug their cars into Tesla stations, but the station would refuse to top them up. With this new pilot project, regular EV owners can download and initiate a charge at one of ten select stations across the Netherlands.

Overall, Tesla’s Supercharger network is likely the most compelling reason to buy a Tesla over any other EV. With that mind, as countries around the world transition to electric vehicles, I wouldn’t be surprised if more governments forced Tesla to allow all cars to use its charging stations.

source: Electreck, (1)