Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Google’s Pixel is now the official fan phone of the NBA

Ahead of Google’s Pixel Fall Launch Event, the Pixel has been declared the NBA’s official fan phone thanks to Google’s new multi-year agreement with the league.

In addition, Google is now the Official Search Engine, Search Trends, and Fan Insights partner for each league, including the NBA, NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The Pixel lineup will be the NBA Playoffs’ first-ever presenting partner, joining YouTube TV (also owned by Google but not available in Canada) in the postseason.

“Through this multi-year partnership, we’ll work with the NBA to create exciting immersive experiences for fans using our 3D and AR technology, as well as leverage new features that will be announced at our Pixel Fall Launch event,” reads Google’s blog post.

Google will also incorporate Search Trends throughout the season, displaying how fans search for information regarding games before, during, and after games using real-time data.

More information about the immersive experiences will be revealed by Google at the Pixel 6 launch event tomorrow. The company intends to unveil new Pixel camera features during a special Opening NBA Night on TNT Tip-Off pregame show following the launch event.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google 

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Mobile Syrup

Tesla finally starts shipping new Model X vehicles with yoke steering wheel

Tesla has begun shipping out the slightly redesigned Model X crossover with a new interior and the new Yoke steering device.

Beyond the new minimalist steering apparatus, the new Model X also has a screen in landscape orientation on the dash, a smaller screen in the back and pockets in the doors to hold items.

This new Model X also has a ‘Premium Upgrades Package.’ This includes multi-device Bluetooth connections, a 22-speaker audio system and a gaming computer with over 10 teraflops of power. This computer is presumably just the brains of the car itself.

We know that the car is finally being delivered since someone named Pierce Chuang posted a video on YouTube about a small Tesla event where some of the first cars were being sent to their drivers. The vehicles at the event appear to be the six-seat options, according to Electrek. This means that anyone who ordered a five- or seven-seat model might need to wait a little longer.

Also, since this event took place in California, Canadians will likely need to wait a bit longer still for their units.

Tesla refreshed the Model S and Model X back at the start of 2021 with new interiors and the famous ‘Plaid’ trim that’s been breaking some records in the Model S version. Neither car has been significantly changed, but each has been refined to be more modern for cars shipping in 2021. The Model S version has already begun shipping.

Source: Tesla, Electrek

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s macOS Monterey update will be available on October 25

Apple finally announced the release of macOS Monterey following its ‘Unleashed’ hardware event on October 18th. The newest version of the company’s desktop operating system will be available starting October 25th, according to the macOS preview page.

The iPhone-maker first shared details about Monterey back at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. Now, four months later, we finally have an official release date for the next version of macOS.

Monterey will ship with a ton of new features and chances for Macs, including unifying features across Apple products, such as notification profiles and SharePlay. Monterey will also add ‘Universal Control,’ a feature that lets people control their iPad with a Mac keyboard and mouse.

Apple’s Shortcuts app will also come with macOS Monterey, offering users access to a whole bunch of automations and other capabilities.

Perhaps the most significant upgrade, however, will come to Safari. With the new OS, Apple’s web browser will sport a whole new design with refreshed tabs, tab groups, and other features.

Unfortunately, several of the new Monterey features will not be coming to Intel-powered Mac devices. While not a surprise, it’s disappointing that Intel Macs will be excluded from some of the upgrades — especially ones that don’t actually rely on any specific hardware benefit of the M1 chip.

Those interested in learning more about macOS Monterey can check out our coverage here, or view the update preview page on Apple’s website.

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Mobile Syrup

New PS App beta lets Canadian PS5 users access PS5 game captures on mobile

PlayStation is now allowing Canadian PlayStation App users to access their PS5 game captures as part of a Canada- and Japan-exclusive beta.

With this functionality, players will be able to directly share their PS5 screenshots and clips through their mobile devices (either to social media or on PSN within the app) or save them to their camera rolls. Previously, you could only share game captures from your PS5. The official Xbox app has offered similar functionality for a few years now.

PlayStation notes that neither a PlayStation Plus membership nor any beta registration is required to access the feature; simply download the latest version of the PS App from your respective mobile storefront. The PS App will automatically upload non-4K screenshots and game clips under three minutes long to the cloud. These can then be accessed through the PS App for 14 days.

There are a few things to keep in mind, however. To start, you’ll have to enable the feature. Keep in mind that in order to auto-upload your game captures, your PS5 needs to be linked to the PS App and be left in rest mode with the ‘Stay Connected to the Internet’ setting turned on.

Once you’ve done all of this, the PS App will automatically upload non-4K screenshots and game clips under three minutes long to the cloud. These can then be accessed through the PS App for 14 days.

iOS users can download the update starting today, while the Android version of the app is getting the beta as part of a phased release. This means that users may have to wait up to one week for it to become available.

Source: PlayStation

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Mobile Syrup

The new MacBook Pros feature a NOTCH!

Apple has unveiled the highly anticipated new MacBooks with an HDMI port, an SD card reader, MagSafe compatibility and more, at its ‘Unleashed’ event on October 18th.

However, what’s noteworthy is that the new MacBooks now feature an upgraded 1080p camera design with a centred notch. Yep, you read that right. Just like the iPhones, the new MacBooks now feature a notch.

With 24 percent thinner bezels on the sides and a 60 percent thinner top bezel that wraps around the camera notch, the 16-inch MacBook now covers 16.2-inches of display real estate, whereas the 14-inch model cover 14.2-inches of display space.

Additionally, the mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display features ProMotion with refresh rates up to 120Hz with up to 1 billion colours.

The upgraded camera features computational video for Machine Learning (ML) based noise reduction, ML-based Face detection, local tone mapping, auto white balance, Auto exposure and Smart HDR.

Developing…

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Mobile Syrup

Apple unveils new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips for its pro MacBooks

Apple unveiled highly anticipated new MacBooks at its ‘Unleashed’ event on October 18th. One of the key components behind the new computers is the company’s new, more powerful M1 chips.

Dubbed the ‘M1 Pro,’ the first new chip scales up the M1 architecture with support for up to 32GB of memory at three times faster speed than M1. Additionally, M1 Pro boasts two times more transistors than M1 and is available in up to 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU versions.

Overall, the new M1 Pro boasts two times faster graphics performance than M1 and can handle two streams of 4K video at once through the new ‘Display Engine’ for handling output to multiple displays.

Along with the new M1 Pro, Apple unveiled the M1 Max chip, boasting an insane two times performance uplift over the M1 Pro and six times uplift over the M1.

M1 Max can support up to 64GB of unified memory, boasts a 32-core CPU and two times faster video encoding. Apple says the M1 Max supports output to up to four external displays. In typical Apple fashion, the company also showed off several charts comparing performance between M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max compared to PCs.

The charts are somewhat vague, but showcase the company’s bold claims. For example, Apple claims the M1 Pro and Max chips boast 1.7x more performance than an “8-core PC laptop chip” while using significantly less power. Similarly, Apple claims the GPU in the M1 Pro offers similar performance to “discrete PC laptop graphics” while using 70 percent less power.

Moreover, some of these benefits come from how Apple adapts macOS to work with its in-house silicon. For example, Apple says that macOS can take advantage of the performance and efficiency cores by targeting different tasks to them to ensure performance or save power when necessary. Similarly, macOS can make use of the M1 chips’ unified memory, which can improve performance by avoiding the need to copy data between memory for discrete components.

However, it remains to be seen how well the new M1 Pro and Max perform in real-world testing. I’m especially curious to see how professional users feel about the new chips since they appear to target that market.

Finally, Apple also provided an update on its transition to universal apps made for the company’s M1 chips. There are now over 10,000 universal apps.

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s new MacBook Pro features a display notch, an SD card slot and an entirely new design

After months of rumours, Apple has officially revealed its refreshed MacBook Pro.

Most notably, alongside an entirely new design that’s a little more squared-off, the new version of the laptop features an HDMI port, an SD card slot and MagSafe 3. More importantly, the new version of the laptop seems to be an indication that Apple took the criticism surrounding its most recent 2016 MacBook redesign to heart.

On the display side, Apple says that the laptop’s display is 24 percent thinner and will be available in two sizes, including 14-inches and 16.2-inches. The new MacBook Pro’s screen also features a 120Hz refresh rate and MiniLED technology, according to Apple.

Apple also confirmed that the new MacBook Pro will feature an updated version of its M1 chip called the M1 Pro. Apple says that this chip has been designed specifically with the MacBook Pro in mind.

More to come… 

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Mobile Syrup

Apple revamps its original AirPods with new design and better sound

When Apple pulled back the curtain back on its first-generation AirPods back in 2016, the world was doubtful of the wireless future the tech giant was pushing. Still, within a few months, AirPods seemed to appear everywhere and now in 2021, wireless earbuds/headphones are standard and don’t even include a 3.5mm headphone jack anymore.

To carry that mantra forward, Apple has revamped its base-level Airpods with a few new features to help keep up with the growing competition. The new AirPods look a little more like the AirPods Pro with shorter stems and a smaller overall size.

Notably, the AirPods get rid of the touch-sensitive zones and replaces them with stems that users can squeeze to play/pause audio. This is the same implementation that OnePlus uses with the OnePlus Buds Pro, and it works well there, so I’m excited to see it come to more earbuds.

While these buds might look almost identical to the AirPods Pro, they’re notably missing the small silicon ear tips and instead look more like a traditional AirPod. While this helps keep that classic Apple EarPod feel, it doesn’t work great with sound isolation, so you’ll still be able to hear some background noise while wearing these.

These new AirPods also feature adaptive EQ to match the sound being pumped out of your earbuds to match sure that no matter the fit users can expect accurate music playback.

Apple is also pushing dynamic head tracking with the new AirPods, making them work with the 3D audio effect the AirPods Max and AirPods Pro feature.

Finally, Apple says that with the AirPods’ new MagSafe compatible charging case, users will expect 30 hours of total battery life. The AirPods are also water-resistant this time around, allowing you to wear them in light rain or while working out.

In Canada, the new AirPods start at $239.

For all of our coverage from Apple’s event, follow this link.

More to come…

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Mobile Syrup

Apple drops Apple Music Voice plan for $4.99

To kick off its fall ‘Unleashed’ event, Apple revealed a new Apple Music subscription tier called ‘Apple Music Voice.’

This new subscription costs $4.99 USD (about $6.17 CAD) per month and works with all Apple devices that can use Siri. This makes the plan helpful for people who just have a HomePod.

Amazon offers a similar free tier of some music to people that can be accessed through its Echo devices to allow users to play some music right out of the box for free. Since Apple will charge $5 USD per month, it’s unclear how many people will opt for its version.

Systems like these are designed to be accessed more casually, so Apple has made tons of playlists based on moods for users to access. Onstage, the company used examples of asking Siri to play music for a dinner party or for a hike. You can still ask Siri to play specific songs through Apple Music Voice.

More to come…

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s HomePod mini now comes in blue, orange and yellow

Apple’s HomePod mini is now available in more colours.

Starting now, you can buy the Siri-powered smart home speaker in ‘Blue,’ ‘Orange’ and ‘Yellow.’ The new colours join the ‘White’ and ‘Space Grey’ variants that are already available.

In Canada, the new HomePod mini colours cost $129 and launch in November. Apple first released the HomePod mini back in October of 2020. The mini is the only smart speaker Apple sells after discontinuing the original HomePod earlier this year.

For more on the HomePod mini, check out our review of the smart home speaker.

Click here to follow our coverage of the October 18th Apple event.

Image credit: Apple