Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

OnePlus 9RT leaks, likely not coming to Canada

The latest OnePlus device might be a successor to the OnePlus 9R that launched in India and China called the OnePlus 9RT.

The 9R itself seemed like a minor refresh of the OnePlus 8T from 2019, but placed into a body of a phone that looked more in-line with OnePlus’ latest hardware design language. The leaked OnePlus 9RT seems very similar, but reportedly features minor camera improvements that bump some of its sensors up to 50-megapixels.

I’m expecting OnePlus to reveal this phone on October 13th, but since the first 9R never came to Canada, this one likely also won’t. With that in mind, if you’re looking for a deal on a OnePlus phone in Canada, the OnePlus 8T is down to $679 right now.

I’d expect North American OnePlus fans will need to wait until the spring to see a new OnePlus smartphone make its way here given the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro launched back in March 2021.

Source: @evleaks

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung predicts record-high Q3 revenue, likely thanks to chip sales

Samsung Electronics has revealed its earnings predictions for the third quarter of this year — and the numbers look very good.

The South Korean company says its revenue could potentially hit KRW 73 trillion (roughly $76 billion CAD), with an operating profit of KRW 15.8 trillion (roughly $16 billion CAD).

If true, this would be Samsung’s highest-ever reported quarterly revenue.

Compared to last year, Samsung’s Q3 2021 numbers are currently 28 percent higher than they were in Q3 2020. It’s worth noting that the quarter that just ended — Q2 — also exceeded Q3’s 2020 numbers in terms of revenue.

While Samsung didn’t provide an official reason for the company’s financial gains, an analyst speaking to SamMobile suggested that the tech manufacturer likely got a boost from “higher chip sales and semiconductor prices.”

Samsung will report its final numbers for Q3 at the end of the month.

The company mentioned a few months ago that it expects its smartphone sales to return to pre-pandemic levels soon, but issues with the supply chain are causing delays.

Source: SamMobile

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Mobile Syrup

Getting wet and wild testing Niagara Launcher at Niagara Falls

Android 12 looks great, but unfortunately those sexy visual updates are really only coming to Google Pixel Phones.

That said, if you want to make your phone feel brand new, a good way to do it is by customizing your UI using an Android launcher — and our favourite at the moment is Niagara Launcher.

If you’re interested in sprucing up your screen, check out the latest MobileSyrup YouTube video filmed on location at — and at one wild point, literally underneath — Niagara Falls, covering everything about the launcher and the features you can expect from it.

Overall, we really like the launcher for its simple design. For example, the way it makes Android home screens easier to access using just one hand feels really intentional and smart.

Even opting to pay for Niagara Pro feels fair, since the update adds some nice features to the launcher and doesn’t cost too much. Plus, the launcher is made by a one-person developer team, so it’s a nice app to financially support.

If you’ve been swayed and want to try out the launcher, you can download it for free here.

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Mobile Syrup

Next iPhone SE rumoured to feature same design, but 5G and Apple’s A15 chip

Apple’s 3rd-generation iPhone SE will likely look very similar to its predecessor if a recent rumour from Japanese blog Macotakara is accurate.

If the report is accurate, this means that the next iPhone SE will feature the same 4.7-inch LCD display and physical Touch ID Home Button, with most of the upgrades happening inside the smartphone. This includes Apple’s powerful new A15 chip and 5G connectivity support.

The publication says that Apple plans to start producing the new iPhone SE in December and ship it to customers in 2022. This launch lineup makes sense given Apple typically releases the SE version of its iPhones in the spring.

There are some slightly older rumours indicating that Apple will revamp the iPhone SE with a larger 5.5-inch screen and a side Touch ID button in the form of an iPhone SE Plus, but it’s been several months since we’ve seen any reports regarding this redesign.

Apple’s last iPhone SE refresh was back in 2020. For more on the iPhone SE (2020), check out my review of the smartphone.

Source: Macotakara Via: 9to5Mac 

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Mobile Syrup

Best Buy’s 20th-anniversary sale discounts several laptops and PCs

Best Buy entered the Canadian market in 2001 and has since become one of the major electronic retailers in the nation. The electronics retailer is celebrating its 20th Canadian anniversary with a ’20 years of tech’ sale with several laptops, TVs, tablets, PCs and more on sale.

Check out some notable deals below:

TVs

Find all TVs on sale here.

Laptops

Gaming laptops

Find all laptops on sale here.

PCs and all-in-ones

Gaming PCs

Find all PCs on sale here.

Monitors

Find all monitors on sale here.

Tablets

Find all tablets on sale here.

Headphones

Find all headphones on sale here.

Smart home

Find all smart home gadgets here.

PC accessories

Find all PC accessories on sale here.

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

Image credit: Best Buy

Source: Best Buy

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Mobile Syrup

Tired of GTA V re-releases? Too bad – Rockstar is remastering three classic GTA games

Following months of rumours, Rockstar Games has officially confirmed that remasters of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas are coming to PC (Rockstar Games Launcher), Xbox, PlayStation and even the Nintendo Switch.

It’s unclear when the titles will release or how much they’ll cost, with Rockstar only stating the titles will arrive “later this year.” The HD re-releases of the iconic titles are also coming to iOS and Android in the first half of 2022.

Rockstar hasn’t revealed if these re-releases are just high-resolution remakes or if they feature more significant technical improvements. However, in a press release, the developer says that each title features “across-the-board upgrades including graphical improvements and modern gameplay enhancements” that still maintain the “classic look and feel of the originals.”

Reading between the lines, it sounds like all three titles will include at least some level of a graphical and gameplay overhaul.

While I have fond memories of playing all three titles as a teenager, I’m not sure these are games I’m interested in diving back into in 2021. At the time, they were highly innovative, but it’s likely that the series’ rigid mission structure — particularly with the ground-breaking GTA III — just hasn’t aged quite as well as some people might think.

Still, it would be great to play GTA III again in what I assume will be 4K 60fps. When I originally played through the title back in 2001 on the PC (I didn’t own a PS2 as a child), the game barely ran on my PC’s 16MB 3D video card and chugged along at a painful 15fps in some cases.

I also look forward to once again shooting GTA San Andreas’ ‘Ryder’ in the face.

Source: Rockstar

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung brings its web browser to the Galaxy Watch 4

When I reviewed the Galaxy Watch 4, I had a great experience with the smartwatch, but apparently, it was missing a web browser (I didn’t even notice). Now, Samsung has rectified this issue and brought its web browser to the wearable.

This feature was initially available with Samsung’s Tizen watches, but with the move to Google’s Wear OS, Samsung’s browser originally wasn’t available with the Galaxy Watch 4. As you may have already assumed, the Wear OS version of Samsung’s Internet app features a browser that lets users access webpages directly from their wrist.

When you first use the wearable browser, you’ll see a guide that shows how the app is optimized for your wrist. For example, a diagonal swipe from either side of the screen allows users to see the corners of a webpage, a swipe up reveals bookmarks, “Zoom mode,” and a shortcut to send webpages to your phone.

The browser’s opening page also shows a list of Samsung Internet bookmarks synced with your smartphone.

While having a browser on your wrist might be helpful occasionally, the app also looks a little clunky. With that in mind, I don’t think any smartwatch really needs a dedicated web browser, especially when you can just ask Bixby questions with the Galaxy Watch 4.

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Nintendo’s OLED Switch includes a screen protector that you shouldn’t remove

Nintendo’s OLED Switch model includes a built-in screen protector.

When I opened up the OLED Switch model review unit Nintendo sent me, I don’t recall encountering any sort of screen protector, but according to The Verge, Nintendo has stuck an “anti-scattering adhesive film” to the front of the handheld’s display.

“Do not peel off the anti-scattering adhesive film from the OLED screen of the console,” says the company in the OLED Switch’s manual.

As far as I can recall, I didn’t remove anything from the OLED Switch’s screen, leading me to believe that this screen protector is extremely hard to see.

Nintendo’s original Switch and Switch Lite don’t need this sort of protector because the displays are made of plastic. The screen protector featured on the OLED Switch is typically used to prevent glass from breaking into shards if it gets damaged while also offering protection from scratches.

Unlike the first-gen Samsung Galaxy Fold, it doesn’t sound like removing this protector will break the OLED Switch’s display, but given it isn’t noticeable, there should be no reason to remove it.

Of course, I went ahead and applied a MoKo glass protector for the OLED on the Switch that I found on Amazon because this is what I always do whenever I get a new portable tech device that includes a display. Nintendo also sells a first-party display protector for the OLED Switch for $20 that’s sold alongside a carrying case.

That said, the protector doesn’t seem to be glass, which is rarely a good thing for screen adhesives.

For more on the Switch OLED model, check out my review.

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

Via: The Verge 

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Mobile Syrup

Elon Musk says Tesla headquarter to move from California to Texas

At the Tesla’s shareholder meeting, Elon Musk announced that the self-driving electric-car company will move its headquarters to Texas from California. The move comes after increased tension between Musk and local politicians due to the company’s response to COVID-19.

In addition, California is also a difficult area for Tesla staff to find affordable housing, and Musk said, “There’s a limit to how big you can scale it in the Bay Area. In Austin, our factory is like five minutes from the airport, 15 minutes from downtown.”

According to CNBC, Musk relocating to Texas would also result in him paying less tax. The state has no personal income tax, whereas Calfornia, on the other hand, has some of the United States’ highest income tax rates. Additionally, California has stricter labour laws, whereas Texas is known for cheaper labour and laxer regulation.

However, this move doesn’t mean that the Freemont, California factory will be closed. Musk stated that he expects to expand output from the California and Nevada plants by 50 percent. Musk himself relocated from California to Texas at the end of last year to work on Tesla’s new vehicle production factory there, in addition to the SpaceX launch site in  Texas’s southernmost edge in Boca Chica.
Watch the full shareholder meeting below:

Source: Tesla

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft promises to study impact of right-to-repair, act on findings

Microsoft has agreed to study the impact of making device repair easier and act on those findings by the end of 2022.

As reported by Grist (via The Verge), Microsoft’s small but important step forward in the ongoing battle for the right-to-repair started in June when an investor advocacy nonprofit called As You Sow filed a shareholder resolution urging the company to analyze the “environmental and social benefits” of improving device repairability.

Following months of negotiations, Microsoft agreed to comply as well as act on the findings. The study will look at how increasing access to parts and information needed for repair can reduce the company’s contributions to climate change and electronic waste (often called e-waste).

Grist notes that this is the first time a U.S. manufacturer agreed to change repair policies following investor pressure, but it may not be the last time. Green Century, a mutual fund focused on environmentally responsible investing, filed two similar right-to-repair resolutions with other U.S. companies, Apple and Deere & Co., the company behind the John Deere tractor.

Microsoft confirmed to The Verge that it will use the findings from the study to “guide [its] product design and plans for expanding device repair options.” Unfortunately, the public may never see the full details. Microsoft will need to publish a summary of the study by May 2022, but not the full study (the company cited concerns of trade secrets for this).

It’s also worth noting that Microsoft has lobbied against right-to-repair laws in several states, including Colorado and Washington.

All in all, this is an important step forward, but it is just a step. That Microsoft has publicly committed to investigating the impact of right-to-repair is important, but if the company doesn’t change how it makes products, then the commitment won’t mean much.

Source: Grist Via: The Verge