Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Best Buy Canada drops prices on Google, Dyson, and Samsung products

The weekend is finally here, which means Best Buy Canada has added a new batch of products to its Top Deals sale. And as usual, we’ve combed through the list to find the best discounts. Check them out below:

Insignia 42″ 1080p HD LED Smart TV for $369.99 (save $30)

Sony BRAVIA XR A80J 65″ 4K UHD HDR OLED Smart Google TV for $2,599.99 (save $200)

ASUS ROG Strix G10DK Gaming PC for $1,599.99 (save $100)

LG UltraFind 27″ 4K Ultra HD 60Hz 5ms GTG IPS LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor for $369.99 (save $130)

JBL Tune 500BT On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones for $35.99 (save $44)

DJI Mini 2 Quadcopter Drone Fly More Combo for $709.99 (save $20)

HP 14″ Laptop – Natural Silver for $449.99 (save $130)

Google Nest Cam WiFi Indoor IP Camera for $129.99 (save $50)

Garmin Approach S12 43.7mm Golf GPS Watch for $199.99 (save $60)

Samsung Galaxy Watch4 44mm Smartwatch with Heart Rate Monitor for $319.99 (save $50)

Dyson V7 Complete Cordless Stick Vacuum for $399.99 (save $100)

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3″ 256GB Windows 10 Tablet for $1,099.99 (save $100)

Samsung HW-Q60T 360-Watt 5.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer for $399.99 (save $100)

Insignia Air Fryer – 3.2L/3.4QT for $59.99 (save $40)

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

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Don’t expect any more Apple events this year: report

Apple unveiled its highly-anticipated MacBook Pro refresh at its ‘Unleashed’ event on October 18th, which could be the last Apple event for this year.

People following Apple closely expected potentially three events from the company this year, similar to what it did last fall. In 2020, Apple had a September event for the Apple Watch and iPad, an October event for the iPhone 12 and HomePod and another October event for its first Apple Silicon Macs.

However, Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman said in his latest ‘Power On’ newsletter that he wouldn’t expect a third event from Apple this year. The information appears to be in the Q&A section, so you won’t be able to see it if you’re a free subscriber. 9to5Mac shared the quote, which you can read below:

“I wouldn’t expect a third event this year or any other major announcements. Apple held three events last year because Covid-19 caused delays and disrupted its schedule. If Apple had any more Macs to launch this year, it would have announced them this past week—even if they wouldn’t be shipping until later this year. There’s really nothing else left of substance in the road map that would be ready for 2021. Instead, look for a larger Apple Silicon iMac, new Mac mini, new iPhone SE and new iPad Pro after 2022 gets underway.”

Frankly, it makes a lot of sense. This fall, Apple has announced new iPhones, the Apple Watch Series 7, a new iPad mini and base-level iPad, new MacBook Pros and new AirPods. The only other things we’re expecting are a new iPhone SE, an Apple Silicon iMac aimed at pros and a new iPad Pro. As Gurman said, if those were ready, Apple probably would have already announced them.

Moreover, Gurman notes in the newsletter that we should expect a new MacBook Air in roughly six to eight months. The new Air will sport an ‘M2’ chip sporting more graphics cores than the M1, but the same number of computing cores likely at a faster clock speed. In other words, there are still exciting announcements on the horizon, but don’t expect them until next year.

Source: Power On Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Lego’s $350 Home Alone set is a nearly 4,000 piece behemoth

Fans of Home Alone can now relive the movie in Lego bricks, thanks to a newly revealed — and incredibly large — Lego Ideas set.

At 3,955 pieces, the Lego Ideas Home Alone set is massive, but it needs to be to capture everything in the McCallister’s iconic house. Both the exterior and interior of the house are true to the movie and include the ground and first floor, kitchen, basement and attic.

The whole house opens up so you can enjoy the various antics and traps, including the clothes iron hitting Marv’s face, dropping the paint can, releasing Buzz’s tarantula and more. You can also lift off the roof to access the attic, and all the floors come apart so you can interact with them from above too.

The set includes the scary basement furnace — complete with a light-up brick so it glows — and a gear you can turn to spin the train set and turntable Kevin used to make it look like people were home in the movie.

Those interested in learning more can check out a full review of the set from The Brothers Brick, which notes that it includes a few never-before-seen bricks.

The set will be available starting November 1st for $349.99 in Canada from Lego’s online store. You can also check out the blog post on the Ideas website for more high-res imagery and some video of the Home Alone set.

Image credit: Lego

Source: Lego Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Vancouver’s Klei, Re-Logic team up for Don’t Starve and Terraria crossover

Don’t Starve and Terraria, two excellent survival games with some spooky monsters, are having some Halloween fun by swapping monsters for a bit.

It started with the Terraria team posting a clip on Twitter showing the game’s first boss, the Eye of Cthulhu, emerging from a portal into Don’t Starve and spooking that game’s main character, Wilson. Then, Vancouver-based Klei Entertainment tweeted a clip of Don’t Starve’s Deerclops stomping through a snowy forest in Terraria.

It’s not entirely clear how the crossover will work. The appearance of these monsters in the other games may just be a fun easter egg, or it could actually be incorporated into gameplay somehow. Either way, Klei suggests the crossover will only last until the end of the month.

If you haven’t played Don’t Starve, Terraria, or both, the two monsters are fairly iconic. Eye of Cthulhu is the first major boss in Terraria and also one of the first real tests of player skill. Don’t Starve’s Deerclops, on the other hand, can be a challenging encounter when it rampages through players’ encampments in winter.

If you’re interested in trying out these games, they’re both available on several platforms for a relatively low price (under $12 on Steam!). You can find out more about where to buy Terraria here and Don’t Starve here. There’s also a Don’t Starve Together version with built-in co-op (Terraria also has co-op). And speaking of Steam, Terraria developer RE-Logic confirmed it was optimizing the title for Valve’s upcoming portable console, Steam Deck.

Source: Twitter Via: Polygon

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Mobile Syrup

Canada’s own Hayden Christensen to return as Anakin in Disney+’s Ahsoka: report

Vancouver-born actor Hayden Christensen is returning to the world of Star Wars in the upcoming Disney+ series Ahsoka, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This is set to be the second time Christensen will reprise his Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader role after the prequel films, following next year’s Ewan McGregor-led Obi-Wan series.

Ahsoka is one of multiple The Mandalorian spin-offs and features Rosario Dawson reprising her role as fan-favourite character Ahsoka Tano. The alien Jedi originated The Clone Wars animated film and series as Anakin’s apprentice, making his appearance in her solo show logical. However, like The Mandalorian, Ahsoka is set after the events of Return of the Jedi, in which Vader dies.

Therefore, it’s unclear exactly how Christensen will appear, although it’s safe to assume it will be as a Force Ghost, a figment of Ahsoka’s imagination and/or flashback. (Then again, Lucasfilm bafflingly brought back Emperor Palpatine in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker despite him getting vaporized in Return of the Jedi, so who knows?)

Beyond that, plot details are currently under wraps for Ahsoka, although The Mandalorian revealed that she was searching for classic Star Wars villain Thrawn. This would, presumably, pick up story threads from the animated series Star Wars Rebels, in which Ahsoka and Thrawn both appeared.

A release date for Ahsoka has yet to be revealed, although THR notes that it’s expected to begin production early next year. It’s possible we’ll learn more about the series at the Disney+ Day on November 12th. The event will offer a slew of announcements related to upcoming Disney+ programming from all of Disney’s brands, including Star Wars.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

 

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how to download your enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate in Ontario

Ontario’s enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate launched on October 18th.

The enhanced vaccine certification is a QR code that Ontarians can download and scan at locations that require vaccination verification, including indoor restaurants, gyms, clubs and more. You can still use your previous vaccine passport, but this method aims to save time.

To download the enhanced vaccine certificate, first head to this link. Following that, you’ll be asked a series of questions such as how many doses you received, if your COVID-19 vaccinations were all done in Ontario, what type of health card you have, and if you are non-indigenous.

For those who have modern green photo health cards and an up to date web browser, you’ll be pushed to the next part of the portal and then get you to confirm.

Following that, you’ll need your health card number, the nine-character code at the back of the card, two-letter version code, date of birth and postal code. Lastly, you’ll see the ‘Proof of vaccination’ option. Next, hit continue and download your enhanced vaccine certificate.

You can also save your enhanced certificate on iOS or Android

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Mobile Syrup

Asus releases Android 12 update schedule

Asus has released its Android 12 update schedule.

The Taiwanese technology company has confirmed that Android 12 is coming to its Zenfone 7, Zenfone 8, Zenfone 8 Flip, ROG Phone 3, and ROG Phone 5 and 5s. It’s worth noting that only the ROG Phone 3, ROG Phone 5 and the Asus Zenfone 8 are available in Canada (the Zenfone 8/ROG Phone 5 haven’t released here yet).

The ZenFone 8 will get the Android 12 in December, the ROG Phone 5 in Q1 in 2022 and the ROG Phone 3 in the first half of 2022, which could mean anywhere from January to June.

Asus says that its Android 12 update will include battery and performance management features, as well as ZenUI-functionalities like easier navigation, streamlined control panels, increased visibility and customization updates.

Via: XDA Developers

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Mobile Syrup

Huawei reveals Watch GT 3 and FreeBuds Lipstick

Yesterday, Huawei announced that its Nova 9 (not coming to Canada) and P50 (potentially coming here) will both launch globally. However, the company also announced the Huawei Watch GT 3 and FreeBuds Lipstick earbuds.

The Watch GT 3 is launching in 46mm and 42mm variants, and Huawei says they offer a “timeless elegance.” Both watches can measure more than 100 workout modes, sport a built-in workout planner with improved location tracking and a 5th generation heart rate monitor.

Additionally, the watch features SpO2 monitoring, sleep tracking, Bluetooth and is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. Further, Huawei says that the Watch GT 3 46mm can reportedly last 14 days, and the smaller variant can last seven days.

On the other hand, the FreeBuds Lipstick comes in red and sports a high-grade stainless steel enclosure that looks like a lipstick case. The earbuds are compatible with Android and iOS. The FreeBuds Lipstick seem identical to the FreeBuds 4 in several ways, including their 14.3mm dynamic driver, with a frequency range spanning up to 40kHz and four hours of playback with an extra 22 hours with the case.

It’s possible we’ll see the Watch GT 3 and FreeBuds Lipstick release in Canada. MobileSyrup has reached out to Huawei for confirmation.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 specs leak online

Twitter account OnLeaks has shared some of the first specs for Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Tab S8 tablet.

If the leaks are correct, the tablet will feature 11-inch display with a 1600 x 2560 pixel resolution. The leak also indicates that it features an LCD IPS panel, so it looks like Samsung’s 11-inch tablet won’t include the same display as the Tab S7+. That said, it will offer a 120Hz refresh rate.

The tablet is also rumoured to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and an 8,000mAh battery. The battery will charge over 45W connection and offer some form of quick charging.

In terms of cameras, the leak suggests the Tab S8 will feature two shooters on the back with 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel sensors. On the front, there’s an 8-megapixel selfie shooter.

The leak also dinciates that the tablet will run Android 11 and is 6.24mm thick.

There’s no mention as to when we might expect the device to release, unfortunately. The last flagship Samsung tablet launched in the summer of 2020, so it’s unclear if this new one will come out soon or if the company plans to drop it next summer.

Since this leak seems pretty comprehensive, I’m leaning towards the tablet being revealed this winter.

Image credit: @OnLeaks

Source: Slashleaks

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Mobile Syrup

Canada’s Competition Bureau is investigating Google’s ad business

Canada’s Competition Bureau is launching a formal civil investigation into Google’s online advertising sales practices.

In a Friday press release, the independent law enforcement agency quietly announced it had successfully filed and obtained a court order through the Federal Court of Canada.

The court order will require that Google produce records and written information relevant to the Bureau’s investigation.

As to what the investigation is looking into, details remain somewhat vague.

The statement says that the investigation’s goal is to determine whether the American multinational tech behemoth has “engaged in certain practices that harm competition in the online display advertising industry in Canada.”

By harm, the Bureau is specifically referring to “impeding the success of competitors; and resulting in higher prices, reducing choice and hindering innovation for advertising technology (ad tech) services, and harming advertisers, publishers and consumers.”

Early reporting from The Wire Report suggests that the Bureau is looking for evidence of antitrust polices and strategies, based of a number of aggressive-sounding keywords (e.g. “crush”, “kill”, “hurt”) listed in the official court order:

The release also mentions the Competition Bureau’s previous investigation into Google’s advertising practices, which launched in 2013.

The three-year investigation was discontinued in April 2016, the Bureau concluding “that there is no compelling evidence to suggest this conduct has excluded rivals or harmed Canadian publishers or advertisers, or that it has resulted in a substantial lessening or prevention of competition in this market.”

If the Competition Bureau has gone to the trouble of opening another investigation and obtaining a court order, it seems likely that new evidence or allegations have emerged since then.

Source: Canada.ca