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Mobile Syrup

Marvel’s Hawkeye to get special two-episode Disney+ premiere on November 24

Marvel Studios has revealed that the first two episodes of Hawkeye will be available when the series premieres on Disney+.

While we’d known since July that the series will hit Disney+ on November 24th, we had been expecting a single episode per usual Disney+ series rollouts.

Disney didn’t provide a reason for the special two-episode premiere, but it likely has to do with Lucasfilm’s The Book of Boba Fett. The Mandalorian spin-off is releasing on Disney+ on December 29th, which would have been the date of the Hawkeye finale if the series only debuted with one episode. Therefore, coming out with two episodes right away means that the six-episode-long Hawkeye will conclude on December 22nd, leaving Boba Fett free to have the 29th to itself.

Alongside confirmation of the two-episode premiere, Marvel also dropped a one-minute spot for Hawkeye that’s appropriately titled “Change of Plans.” The spot shows more Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton and MCU newcomer Hailee Steinfeld (Kate Bishop) as his companion fighting off unknown enemies during Christmastime. Linda Cardellini’s Laura Barton, Clint’s wife, can also be seen, following her appearance in Avengers: Endgame.

This is the last Marvel Disney+ series for the years, following the apparent delay of Ms. Marvel. However, we will likely learn about more of Marvel’s plans for the streaming service on November 12th. On that date, Disney will hold its inaugural Disney+ Day event to reveal more about what’s coming to its service from all of its brands, including Marvel.

Image credit: Marvel Studios

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Mobile Syrup

HTC unveils its new $649 Vive Flow VR headset with immersive spatial audio

At its annual Vive event, HTC launched its all-new HTC Vive Flow immersive glasses that touts as an all-in-one virtual reality (VR) headset designed for meditation, relaxation and to consume content on the go.

“We believe VIVE Flow can help everyone be more present, more mindful, and more relaxed,” said Jeff Pohlman, HTC head of global communications during the product launch.

Weighing in at just 189g, the new headset features a dual-hinge design and a snap-on face cushion for added comfort. It can be paired with an Android smartphone via Bluetooth, to use the latter as a three degrees of freedom (3DOF) controller or to stream content from the device directly to the headset.

The headset supports immersive spatial audio built into its frame, along with two microphones placed at the front with echo and noise-cancellation for ease of calling. It has an ‘active cooling system’ to maintain low temperatures throughout the headset and your face and adjustable diopter lenses for universal use.

In terms of performance, the Vive Flow features two LCD screens, a 3.2K resolution and a 75hz refresh rate. The headset can be used to play games, watch movies and TV shows, or participate in a range of wellness-related activities and programs.

The HTC Vice Flow is now available to pre-order for $649. Customers that pre-order the headset before October 31st will also receive a travel case, a 2-month subscription to Viveport Infinity, and downloadable content.

It’s worth noting that the HTC Vive Flow does not pair with an iPhone, however, HTC might add iOS compatibility in the near future.

Check out HTC’s launch event below:

Image credit: VIVE

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Mobile Syrup

Concepts show off a cool design for Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra

Over the past few days, concept designers have created 3D renders of Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy S22 Ultra, which were shared by the Netherland-based publication LetsGoDigital.

These renders aren’t factory schematic-based, but they are derived from several rumours about the upcoming handset.

The concepts created by Technizo Concept and Concept Creator look nearly the same, but the former design also includes the rumoured Burgundy Red colour variant. 

Both designs show off a squared-off S22 Ultra that’s reminiscent of the now-dead Note series. Additionally, the two designs show that the phone will sport housing for the S Pen, unlike last 2021’s S21 Ultra.

Additionally, the concept designers created two separate housings for all of the cameras on the rear of the device. While appealing, this goes against previous CAD-based renderings shared by OnLeaks of the S22 Ultra that showcased a P-shaped rear-facing camera. Concept Creator’s last render also reflects this P-shaped rear-facing camera setup.

Past leaks indicate that the phone will also sport a next-gen Snapdragon processor, a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 5,000mAh battery, up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage and more.

Currently, the leak world is unclear whether Samsung will launch a camera setup with two islands or a P-shape housing, and we probably won’t know for sure until the tech giant officially reveals the S22 series in the first quarter of next year.

Source: LetsGoDigital, (2)

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Mobile Syrup

How to stream DC FanDome 2021 in Canada

With COVID-19 cancelling virtually every major event last year, Warner Bros. put together its own DC-focused virtual Comic-Con-style event, DC FanDome.

The one-day, fully digital convention was well-received for offering fans a way to safely connect with the top creators on DC comics, films, TV shows, video games and more.

Now, Warner Bros. is set to bring back DC FanDome on Saturday, October 16th. The main event will kick off at 10am PT/1pm ET and run for about four hours. Luckily for fans, this is a global event, unlike the traditionally San Diego, California-based Comic-Con.

This means that Canadians can tune in for free simply by visiting the official DC FanDome website.

Check out the trailer below for some of the big names that are set to attend:

In terms of what DC properties to expect, here’s some of what’s confirmed so far:

  • Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom (featuring star Jason Momoa)
  • The Batman (featuring director Matt Reeves, star Robert Pattinson and more)
  • The Flash film (featuring Ezra Miller)
  • The Flash Season 8 (featuring stars Grant Gustin and Candice Patton)
  • Harley Quinn Season 3 (featuring star Kaley Cuoco)
  • James Gunn’s Peacemaker (featuring Gunn and star John Cena)
  • Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game
  • Superman & Lois Season 2 (featuring stars Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch)
  • Warner Bros. Games Montreal’s Gotham Knights game

Notably, many of these projects were first unveiled at 2020’s FanDome, to give you an idea of the sort of big announcements that could come out of it this year. In any event, we’ll learn more on Saturday.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

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Mobile Syrup

Dell Canada offering 48-hour sale with discounts on laptops, desktops, accessories and more

Dell Canada is currently offering a 48-hour sale on various gaming laptops, desktops, accessories and more with free shipping.

Check some of the deals below:

Laptops

Find all laptops on sale at Dell here.

PCs

Find all PCs on sale here.

Monitors

60Hz

144Hz

165-240Hz

Find all monitors on sale here.

Headphones

Everything else

These deals from Dell are only available until Friday, October 15th 6am ET.

A full list of the products under the ’48-hour sale’ can be found here.

Image credit: Dell

 

Source: Dell
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Mobile Syrup

iFixit’s teardown of the OLED Switch reveals a smaller cooling assembly

The only significant difference between the regular and OLED Nintendo Switch is the upgraded screen, right? iFixit begs to differ.

According to a new Switch OLED teardown, Nintendo has made a slew of internal changes that result in an updated Nintendo Switch that is noticeably different from its predecessor. For example, iFixit discovered various space-saving modifications designed to accommodate features like the hinge for the new kickstand.

The cooling assembly on the OLED Switch is also smaller than in prior versions. iFixit believes Nintendo made this change to conserve space or to reduce what it called the “cooling overcompensation” with the previous Switch. However, this change might come back to haunt Nintendo in the case of OLED models overheating.

The SD card reader, headphone jack, and game card reader, which were formerly on two different boards, have been consolidated into a single piece in an effort to conserve internal space. Notably, the OLED variant’s only controller-related modification is a set of new console-side rails that hold their respective Joy-Cons more firmly, which might help avoid the all-dreaded drift issue.

Check out iFixit’s YouTube video for a thorough breakdown of the Nintendo Switch OLED.

Source: iFixit

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Mobile Syrup

Apple to reportedly cut iPhone 13 production due to chip shortage

Apple will likely cut iPhone 13 production by 10 million units due to the ongoing global chip shortage, according to Bloomberg.

The publication says that the tech giant initially planned to produce 90 million iPhone 13 units by the end of 2021, but lowered those expectations because its chip suppliers are unable to meet the demand. Bloomberg says that Apple declined to comment on the report.

The worldwide chip shortage is putting pressure on a wide range of industries, including console manufacturers and even automakers. So far, Apple has managed to weather the chip crisis because its supplies are sourced from several companies, though it seems that strategy may have finally caught up with the company.

Apple’s iPhone 13 series was released earlier this month to generally positive reviews. While the smartphone is very similar to the iPhone 12, it features improved low-light camera performance, a faster chip and upgraded 120Hz refresh rate displays on the higher-end Pro and Pro Max models.

For more on Apple’s latest smartphone, check out my review of the iPhone 13 mini/iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Source: Bloomberg

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Mobile Syrup

TikTok live streamers can now mute bitter viewers for the entirety of the stream

TikTok is introducing a new control option for live streamers that will allow them to mute comments from certain viewers. This can be done for varying time periods in an effort to fight hate and harassment on the platform.

Streamers will now be able to temporarily mute individuals for minutes, hours, or for the entire duration of their live stream. “If an account is muted for any amount of time, that person’s entire comment history will also be removed,” says Eric Han, head of US safety, TikTok. The new control option builds on a few features already live, including keyword filters and the ability to turn off comments completely.

Han claims that the anti-hate features — like ‘Prompts’ added by TikTok earlier this year which encourage you to think twice about posting an “unkind or harmful” comment — have resulted in about four in 10 people editing or removing their comment completely.

This comes soon after a testimony from whistleblower Frances Haugen claiming that Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram prioritize profits over the safety of its young user base. Considering that a huge userbase of TikTok comprises of youngsters, introducing such control tools will only solidify TikTok’s place in the short-video market.

In other TikTok-related news, TikTok’s auto-captions feature is finally coming to users in Canada roughly six months after being available exclusively in the United States.

Image credit: TikTok

Source: TikTok

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Mobile Syrup

Canada’s Instacart workers to walk off the job in protest on October 16th

Instacart workers in Canada are joining their United States counterparts in walking off the job on October 18th.

The goal of the walkout is to pressure the shopping and delivery app into improving working conditions for its employees.

Specifically, the Toronto Star reports that workers are asking Instacart for the following changes: bring back commissions, raise the default tip option to a minimum of 10 percent, pay employees per order instead of by batch, and introduce occupational death benefits.

Employees are also demanding that the in-app rating system be adjusted so that negative customer reviews don’t affect their ratings — or in some cases, lead to termination — if there’s proof of receipt or photo evidence that the order did, in fact, arrive as requested.

In March 2020, Instacart said it planned on hiring 300,000 workers in order to meet the COVID-19 pandemic demand for online grocery delivery and pick-up in Canada and the United States.

According to a letter circulated by the Gig Workers Collective, a non-profit group representing gig economy workers including those at Instacart, you can support the walkout by boycotting the Instacart app.

Source: Toronto Star

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Mobile Syrup

Verify Ontario vaccine verification app will collect ‘anonymized’ data

More details about Ontario’s vaccine certificate verification app have arrived ahead of the imminent October 22nd launch.

Dubbed ‘Verify Ontario,’ the app will allow fully vaccinated Ontarians to quickly verify their vaccination status via a QR code when entering businesses and other establishments. According to details reported by Richard Southern on Twitter and via CityNews, the Verify Ontario app will also accept QR codes from B.C., Quebec and the Yukon. It’s unclear if more provinces will be supported in the future.

By accepting QR codes from other provinces, it should make travel easier for vaccinated residents.

Further, CityNews reports that the Ontario government says the app won’t collect personally identifiable information. The app also won’t collect users’ location data or save information that links people to specific locations, visitors or businesses. It will display verified proofs of vaccination for 30 seconds, then delete them.

Unfortunately, the Ford government also confirmed it would collect “anonymized” data using Google Analytics. That will reportedly include the number of completed scans, date and time of scans and the number of negative, positive and invalid scans. The tracking will use randomly generated numbers created when users first install the app.

Finally, the government also detailed what would happen when someone scans a Verify Ontario QR code. First, the app will show one of three results: a green checkmark for verified, a yellow warning if there’s a problem, or a red ‘X’ if the proof isn’t valid.

For yellow warnings, the government recommends cleaning the camera lens or adjusting the angle to make sure reflections aren’t interfering with the camera’s ability to read the code. For the red ‘X,’ the government says it may mean the users only has one of two vaccinations, or that there is missing, invalid or incorrect information in the QR code.

Source: Richard Southern, CityNews