Author: Mobile Syrup

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Google announces Android 12L Developer Preview with release timeline

Google has officially announced the AndroidL Developer Preview alongside a release timeline.

First off, Android 12L features a new user interface designed for larger screens including tablets, foldables and devices that use Chrome OS.

For example, one way the operating system is optimized for larger screens is through the notification shade. The notification shade features a two-column layout with notifications, quick settings and system apps evenly spread out.

Additionally, Android 12L offers a new taskbar that lets users drag and drop an app into split-screen mode and switches apps easily when needed. With Android 12L, all apps will be able to enter multi-window mode, regardless of if they’re resizeable. Samsung’s One UI 3.1.1 also offers a similar feature that can force apps to enter multi-window mode.

Further, 12L features improved compatibility for apps that aren’t optimized yet, and Google Play will also indicate what apps are optimized or larger screens.

As for the timeline, the Developer Preview is launching now, and there will be three different betas, including one in December, another in January and the last one in February, with what looks like a stable release in March (but Google only says Q1 2022)

Google’s Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 5, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 4 and even the Pixel 5a 5G, will all be compatible with the Android 12L beta.

It’s possible that alongside the stable release of the AndroidL, Google will unveil its often rumoured foldable Pixel device. While Google will launch Android 12L officially in Q1 of next year, Samsung already has its own user interface for foldable devices.

Samsung’s One UI 3.1.1 offers an intuitive user interface for its foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Fold 3, Z Fold 2, Z Flip 5G and the original Z Flip. When I reviewed the Galaxy Z Fold 3, I Found One UI 3.1.1 on top of Android 11 offered a smooth experience, and if Android 12L is as good or better, it’s set to be a great update.

Source: Android Developer Blog, (2)

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Mobile Syrup

Google Stadia adds option to try games for free before purchase

Google’s been quiet about Stadia for a bit — several people were surprised the company didn’t mention its game streaming service once during the Pixel event. While that seems about right for a product destined for the Google graveyard, Stadia did just get a surprisingly useful feature.

As spotted by YouTuber Gem (via 9to5Google), Stadia now supports 30-minute free game trials. At least, it does on the new Stadia-exclusive title Hello Engineer. Gem shared a Stadia Store list of games with trials, which only features Hello Engineer. Still, it’s great to see this functionality come to Stadia, and I hope it rolls out to more games in the future.

Game streaming is still a fairly new tech and despite several massive tech companies working on it (Microsoft, Nvidia and of course Google to name some), it remains unclear how viable game streaming will be.

Microsoft definitely seems to have put a focus on xCloud as a way to test and demo games without fully downloading them, which seems like a more viable use case for streaming at the moment since streaming a game doesn’t require users to download anything.

With Stadia, the free trial option shows up on the game page beneath the banner urging Pro subscribers to claim the game for free. Anyone can use the free trial, which lasts for 30 minutes. At the end of the trial, players get an option to buy the game and Stadia will carry their progress over if they do.

Overall, it seems like a good system and could be a major feature for Stadia. As more games gain the ability to do free trials, it could give players the ability to test Stadia and see how well it works before committing to a subscription or to buying a game.

Source: Gem (YouTube) Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Apple starts rolling out iOS 15.2 beta for developers

With iOS 15.1 now available globally, Apple has started rolling out the first beta of iOS 15.2 to developers for testing.

Update 15.2 aims to add features that Apple promised with the initial release of iOS 15 but were left out, including “App Privacy Reports.”

The reports tab, according to 9to5mac, was available with older versions of the operating system. However, it didn’t contain any information. Now, developers testing iOS 15.2 say the tab shows information regarding the data accessed by applications on your device, including third-party and Apple applications. The data tracked can be in the form of apps accessing your location, camera, microphone, etc.

Developers can access the App Privacy Report in Settings -> Privacy -> App Privacy Report. You can toggle the feature from here. It’s worth noting that data will only start to appear in this section After you’ve used applications on your device for a while.

iOS 15.2 also brings some changes to the Emergency SOS feature. You can now set Auto Call to make an emergency call by either pressing the side button numerous times or holding the side button and a volume button together. Both of these ways will now show an eight-second countdown, up from the previous three-second countdown.

Image credit: Apple

Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Twitter Blue Labs lets Canadians try out early features

Twitter Blue subscribers will now be used to help the social media platform test in-development features, including longer video uploads and pinned conversations.

The new initiative, called ‘Twitter Blue Labs,’ grants existing subscribers early access to tools and updates that Twitter is still working on.

In case you were unaware, Twitter Blue is a $3.49 per month subscription service. Subscribers are given exclusive special features to use on the platform, such as a bookmark folders for organizing saved Tweets, a reader mode, customizable app icons, and — perhaps Twitter’s most hotly demanded feature — an ‘undo tweet’ button.

According to a post on the Twitter Canada blog, subscriber feedback will help the company decide whether these early stage ‘Lab’ features “graduate to a static feature of Twitter Blue,” roll out to regular Twitter users, or get axed entirely.

There are currently two work-in-progress features that Twitter Blue Labs participants can try out: ‘longer video uploads,’ which lets you upload and tweet videos up to 10-minutes long, and ‘pinned conversations,’ which lets you swipe to pin conversations to the top of your DM inbox.

Launched in June of this year, Twitter Blue is currently only available in Canada and Australia, and only works on iOS devices.

In other Twitter features news this month, web users can now ‘soft block’ unwanted followers, support for Android’s system dark mode has finally been added, and the platform is testing inserting targeted ads into reply threads.

Source: Twitter

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Mobile Syrup

OnePlus starts hyping up its Black Friday deals event

OnePlus is making sure everyone knows about its Black Friday deals this year. The company is staging its deals across November, starting with random flash sales and ending discounts on phones and earbuds.

The first sale begins on November 3rd, with discounts on products tied to $199 and $12.99 price points. I’d expect this to include cases, cables and maybe even earbuds. If the impressive OnePlus Buds Pro get a price cut, this could be a pretty good deal.

The second wave of sales happens on November 12th, which includes a discount on the OnePlus 9 Pro.

The third sale is on the 19th and it focuses on the OnePlus 9 Pro. Then, to wrap it all up on the 26th, the company will offer the “best prices on all phones.”

If you’re considering a OnePlus device, we’ve reviewed OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro and the OnePlus 8T.  It’s also worth noting that OxygenOS 12 isn’t great, which is something to consider if you’re new to the OnePlus ecosystem.

On top of that, if you put your email and name into a box on the page, you’ll be entered to win even more discounts and OnePlus prizes during November. However, I’d expect that entering this also means that you’re going to get a lot of sales-related emails from OnePlus moving forward.

You can learn more about the deals on the company’s deals promo page.

Source: OnePlus

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners will need to install day-one update

If you’re among the lucky few who managed to pre-order the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro (or who will get one when they become available tomorrow), get ready to download a day-one update.

According to a post on Google’s ‘Pixel Phone Help’ site, Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners will need to update their phones “to get all the features.” The post explains that once users complete the phone setup, the update “automatically downloads silently in the background” and will prompt users to reboot the phone once it’s ready.

The post also recommends updating apps to the latest versions as well to ensure access to all features.

The Verge further elaborates, noting that users should look for build number ‘SD1A.210817.036’ (or ‘SD1A.210817.036.A8’ for Verizon customers). You can find that number either by opening the notification shade and swiping down again to reveal the quick settings widgets (the build number will be visible below the widgets but above the edit, power and settings buttons). Alternatively, you can head to Settings > About Phone and scroll to the bottom to see the build number.

Day-one software updates seem to be the norm these days, whether you’re picking up a new phone, laptop, game or other tech. As a reviewer, I’ve started making it common practice to set new devices aside to update after I first set them (I’ve had more than a few scenarios where a laptop performed really poorly because I hadn’t installed some critical software update yet).

As for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, the day-one update is likely the cause behind some of my woes during testing. I noted in my Pixel 6 review that several features weren’t available or didn’t work (I even made sure all my apps were up to date and, as far as the Pixel 6 was concerned, Android was fully updated too). Naturally, after publishing the review, the day-one software update arrived and fixed several problems, although some features still aren’t available because I’m in Canada.

All this is to say, update your phones (and other tech)!

Source: Google Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Canadian Pixel 6/6 Pro devices won’t have new call features are launch

Unfortunately (and unsurprisingly) for Canadian Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners, the new calling features won’t be available at launch in Canada.

Google confirmed to MobileSyrup that ‘Direct my Call’ and ‘Wait Times’ “will be rolling out in Canada,” but didn’t provide any detail about when that would happen.

The company’s popular ‘Call Screen’ feature has been available in Canada for a while, but only in English. The ‘Hold for Me’ feature has also started showing up for Canadian users in recent months.

In other words, it’s not totally uncommon for Pixel call features to skip Canada on release and roll out at a later time. Google tends to be pretty good and bringing these features to Canada, although it doesn’t always.

Still, the confirmation that neither of the fancy new call features will be available in Canada right away is a bummer, although I’m not sure how many people are buying the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro specifically for Direct my Call and Wait Times.

Anyway, Pixel 6 and 6 Pro users will want to grab a day-one software update once they finish setting up their phones to make sure they get all the fancy new features that are coming to Canada, such as Magic Eraser. Those interested can also read about the Pixel 6 review here and 6 Pro review here.

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Mobile Syrup

Best Buy launches latest batch of Top Deals

Best Buy Canada’s latest batch of weekly Top Deals includes $50 off Google’s Indoor Nest Cam, $50 off Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 and discounts on storage and networking devices.

Check out our top picks below:

Smart home tech

Wearables

Storage

Networking

  • It’s worth noting that products on the list have varying ‘sale end dates. Make sure you check when the sale price is ending if you’re going to sit on the idea of purchasing a device.

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: Best Buy

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Mobile Syrup

Edward Rogers takes family squabble to B.C.’s Supreme Court

Edward Rogers has made good on his promise to take Rogers Communications’ messy leadership dispute all the way up to the British Columbia Supreme Court.

According to a press release from the company itself, the court will hear submissions “regarding the legality of Edward Rogers’ attempt last week to replace five of the Company’s independent directors with nominees of the Rogers Control Trust through a written resolution.”

The statement also reemphasizes Rogers (The Company™)’s position that the resolution put forth by Rogers (The Son™) is “invalid.”

If you, like many Canadians, are confused about what the heck is happening right now at one of the country’s biggest telecom providers, here’s a timeline of major events so far.

To summarize the main points, Edward tried to oust Rogers CEO Joe Natale, the plan backfired, and now the company’s board of directors is split into two factions: Team Edward and Team Joe, the latter of which ironically includes Edward’s mother Loretta, and his sisters Martha and Melinda.

Now, Edward is taking the squabble to B.C.’s Supreme Court, in hopes of having his faction legally recognized as the new official roster for Rogers’ board of directors.

However, early reporting on the court case from the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star has revealed contradictory stories from the Rogers family as to how the schism began.

In his court filings, Edward claims that Loretta and Martha were initially onboard with his plan to swap out Natale for the company’s then-CFO Tony Staffieri.

However, Loretta Rogers argues that her initial support of the swap was skewed by inaccurate, incomplete and biased information about Natale’s performance provided to her by Edward and his co-conspirators.

As a result, another board meeting, chaired by Melinda Rogers, was held without Edward present, where she, Martha and Loretta voted to fire Staffieri and support Natale.

The court hearing is scheduled for Monday, November 1st.

Source: Globe and Mail; Rogers; Toronto Star

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Mobile Syrup

GM building 40,000 EV chargers across Canada and the U.S.

General Motors is getting in the fight to convince more drivers that range anxiety is a thing of the past with the launch of 40,000 prospective level-2 EV chargers spread across Canada and the U.S.

The charger incentive is set to begin in 2022, and the automaker is investing $750 million to expand its charging infrastructure. To keep in mind: GM plans to build 40,000 chargers, not 40,000 charging stations. Since each station usually has 1-3 chargers at it, these 40,000 chargers could be as small as 13,000-20,000 stations across the continent.

I’ll also note that while Level-2 stations are useful to have at places where you park for prolonged periods of time, like work or home, it will still take hours to fill up your car.

To start its charger rollout, the company will task its dealer network with finding locations in its communities that could benefit from a Level-2 charger. This could include local sportsplexes, multi-unit dwellings, and other key places. It’s also important to note that the GM is going to make these chargers available to all EV owners, not just General Motors vehicles. Each dealership is also slated to get 10 chargers.

The company is also going to be selling three different level two chargers at its dealership so customers can set up a charger at home if they purchase a new EV. In the past, GM was offering free level-2 charger installations with Chevy Bolt and Bolt EUV purchases. After the recent Bolt recalls, that might be the best thing Bolt owners got for buying their cars.

The three new chargers are going to be Ultium-branded to match GM’s future battery tech. The base model is a 48-amp smart charger, the middle option is also 48-amps, but GM is calling it a Premium charger. The final option is an 80-amp model called the Premium Smart charger.

GM says the premium models also have a camera built into them and a touchscreen to make them a little more secure and easier to use. According to GM, these chargers will start shipping in early 2022, but the company hasn’t shared any pricing yet.

Overall, it’s nice to see GM show off some new chargers, but to actually help people with range anxiety and traveling on long trips, we need more fast chargers. So while GM is installing lots of slower chargers, it would have been nice for the automaker to at least install one or two fast chargers in each town that has a dealership as well.

Source: GM