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Disney Canada giving away custom The Mandalorian Xbox Series S console

Disney Canada has teamed up with Xbox for a contest to promote the new season of The Mandalorian.

From now until March 12th, Canadians have a chance to win a limited edition custom Xbox Series S console featuring special Grogu artwork.

While Disney Canada’s official Twitter account shows a picture with both the Grogu Series S and a Mandalorian-adorned Series X and the official contest rules mention “an Xbox Series XSS console,” MobileSyrup has confirmed with Xbox that the Canadian contest is for the Grogu console, specifically.

In addition to the system and matching controller, you’ll also get a cute little Grogu-esque hoodie for the gamepad and three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. In Canada, the Series S and three months of Game Pass Ultimate are priced at $379.99 and $44.99, respectively, while the hoodie is valued at $10 USD (about $13.59 CAD). Of course, this being a special console that you wouldn’t be able to buy normally certainly ups the value.

Canadians interested in entering can do so here. All you need is to give your name and email and answer the decidedly simple question of where you can stream the new season The Mandalorian. (Spoilers: Disney+!)

It’s worth noting that Xbox’s global team is running a Twitter contest for both the Mando-themed Series X and Grogu Series S. This one runs until May 12th and is open to all countries in which Xbox is available, including Canada. To enter, you’ll have to retweet this tweet with the hashtag #TheMandalorianXboxSweepstakes.

The third season of The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+ on March 1st, with new episodes streaming every Wednesday. In the latest season, Mando has reunited with Grogu and now sets his eyes on Mandalore to redeem his past transgressions. The series stars Pedro Pascal, the internet’s favourite daddy and star of another popular streaming series, The Last of Us.

Image credit: Xbox/Lucasfilm

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Mobile Syrup

Metroid Fusion is coming to Nintendo’s Switch Online Expansion Pack on March 9

Nintendo has announced that Metroid Fusion is coming to Nintendo Switch for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack on March 9th.

Metroid Fusion is an action-adventure game that launched on Game Boy Advance in 2002. This game is the prequel to Metroid Dread, which launched in 2021. Nintendo brought several Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles to its Expansion Pack earlier this month, including Kirby’s Dream Land, Tetris, Wario Land 3, The Legend of Zelda: the Minish Cap and more.

The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack costs $63.99 and gives you access to a library of Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64 games and more.

Source: Nintendo

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Mobile Syrup

Today’s ‘The Mandalorian’ Google easter egg is adorable

If you Google The Mandalorian today, you’ll be met with the world’s cutest little alien.

Grogu appears at the bottom of the page, and if you tap him, the little guy starts using the Force on your web page.

If you keep tapping on Grogu, he just keeps doing it, figuratively breaking the internet.

It’s absolutely adorable, and you need to try it out. Once you refresh the page, everything is back in place.

Season 3 of The Mandalorian hit Disney+, yesterday, March 2nd.

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft requests the FTC to seek PlayStation’s exclusivity deals deets

The ongoing legal battle between the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Microsoft over the latter’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has taken a new turn.

As reported by Kotaku, the FTC is seeking details from Sony about its PlayStation exclusivity deals, including the amount it pays for “blocking rights” to keep games off rival services like Xbox Game Pass.

This comes after Microsoft’s request to the FTC regarding PlayStation detailing its exclusivity deals. The request covers all deals made by PlayStation after January 1st, 2019, including any fees or agreements that prevented publishers from launching their games on Xbox Game Pass.

The judge in the case has sided with Microsoft’s request, stating that understanding the full extent of Sony’s exclusivity deals and their effect on industry competitiveness will assist in Microsoft’s defence regarding its Activision acquisition.

FTC’s chief administrative judge D. Michael Chappell said:

Microsoft argues that the Complaint in this case makes a number of allegations regarding high-performance video game console developers’ exclusivity arrangements with video game publishers. Microsoft states that it is aware that SIE requires many third-party publishers to agree to exclusivity provisions, including preventing the publishers from putting their games on Xbox’s multi-game subscription service, and that understanding the full extent of SIE’s exclusivity arrangements and their effect on industry competitiveness will assist in its defense.

The last time we saw an exclusivity deal like this made public was back in 2021 during the Epic Games vs. Apple saga.

Microsoft’s initial request was to get details on Sony’s exclusivity deals dating back to 2012, but the timeline was deemed “excessive” by the judge, and agreed to seek details from Sony about its PlayStation exclusivity deals made post-2019. The evidentiary hearing for the case is scheduled for August 2nd, and it could be months before any potential new details are revealed.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Game Developer Via: Kotaku

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Mobile Syrup

iPhone 11 survives week-long submersion in lake

Apple’s first water-resistant iPhones were the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, both of which featured an IP67 water-resistant rating. Since then, Apple has upgraded its iPhones to feature IP68, and says it provides water resistance of six meters deep for up to 30 minutes.

The time stat seems to be significantly underreported, as proved in a recent incident from Lake Paranoá, Brazil.

Breno Rafael, a student, accidentally dropped his iPhone 11 into Lake Paranoá while kayaking and presumed it lost forever. A week later, diving instructor Edinho Rocha found the iPhone seven meters underwater during a night dive with his students, as reported by G1, via 9to5Mac.

“I put it in my vest pocket. When I reached the surface, I thought [the] phone was no longer working. And then I saw that the screen was working,” said Rocha. He used the device’s Emergency menu to locate the owner, and Rafael was eventually able to unlock the phone with his password and confirm that it was still functioning normally.

Rafael’s device was an iPhone 11, which offers IP68 water resistance for a maximum depth of 2 meters for up to 30 minutes. However, in this case, the phone survived being submerged for a week, suggesting that its water-resistant capabilities may be even stronger than advertised.

While it’s always important to take precautions when using electronic devices in and around water, it’s good to know that the iPhone’s water-resistant capabilities can sometimes exceed expectations.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: G1 Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Third-Party Twitter app developers suffer financial blow from Musk’s restrictions

In early January, Elon Musk and Twitter decided to shut out third-party applications, quoting that it was “enforcing its long-standing API rules.”

The move has not only impacted the developers’ income but also left them facing the tough decision of refunding thousands of subscribers, via AppleInsider.

Twitterific, which was created before Twitter even had its own native iOS app, was a prominent third-party client that was credited with several ‘firsts’ for the platform, including the first use of the word ‘tweet,’ the first use of a bird icon, the first to show a character counter while typing a tweet, the first to support replies and conversations, and more.

According to a blog post by Sean Heber, the founder of Twitterific, the closure will hurt their business significantly. If “you were [a] subscriber to Twitterrific for iOS, we would ask you to please consider not requesting a refund from Apple,” he wrote. “The loss of ongoing, recurring revenue from Twitterrific is already going to hurt our business significantly, and any refunds will come directly out of our pockets – not Twitter’s and not Apple’s.”

“To put it simply, thousands of refunds would be devastating to a small company like ours,” he added.

Now, Both Twitterific and Tweetbot have updated their apps to include an option for subscribers to decline the refund, as reported by DaringFireball. According to the report, all subscriptions to the apps were cancelled when Apple decided to remove the App Store. However, users who had an ongoing subscription at the time, like an annual subscription, for example, can still update to the latest version of the app and tap an “I Don’t Need a Refund” button to show support to the companies.

The move by Musk has been met with criticism from both developers and users alike, who have accused him of monopolizing the Twitter platform; however, companies are already moving on. Tweetbot developer Tapbots said that as a result of the shutdown, it is now speeding up the development of its Mastodon app, Ivory.

Image credit: IconFactory

Source: AppleInsider

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Mobile Syrup

Check out this teaser for the upcoming animated Pokémon series

The Official Pokémon YouTube channel has shown off the first teaser for its upcoming Pokémon show.

This series will star new protagonists, Liko and Roy, as they embark on a new journey. It looks like Professor Friede and his Captain Pikachu might join them.

From the trailer, it looks like Liko has a weird pendant, and Roy has an even weirder Poké Ball.

There will be an hour-long special on April 14th in Japan, but it’s unclear when we’ll get dubbed or even subbed episodes. According to my knowledge of anime, it typically doesn’t take too long to get a show subbed but dubbed can take quite a bit.

It’s also unclear which service will pick up the anime, Crunchyroll, Crave, or Netflix; it’s currently a mystery.

The new animated Pokémon series will replace the original series that starred Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu. That series ran from 1997 to 2023 and is what Pokémon is to many millennials. This new series has a lot to live up to.

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Mobile Syrup

Governments of Canada, Ontario, fund high-speed internet project by YorkNet

Canada and Ontario flags in front of skyscrapers in Toronto

The federal government and the Government of Ontario are providing YorkNet with $48 million to fund a high-speed internet project.

YorkNet, owned by the Municipality of York, will improve access to more than 3,800 homes across 31 communities in Ontario. Brown Hill, Musselman’s Lake and Royal Beach are some communities to benefit from the project.

“We all know that internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age–it’s a necessity,” Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, said. “Access to fast, reliable internet helps rural Canadians by levelling the playing field to access essential services like health care and education, participate in the digital economy, or simply connect with loved ones.”

The funding comes from a July 2021 announcement from the two governments earmarking $1.2 billion to support projects bringing high-speed internet access to Ontario residents and businesses. Various providers have received funding under the joint partnership, including Bell, Cogeco, and Matawa First Nations Management. 

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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Mobile Syrup

CRTC approves Tesla’s telecom license application

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved a license request from Tesla Motors Canada.

Back in September, the electric vehicle manufacturer applied to obtain a Basic International Telecommunications Service (BITS) licence. Its application stated the license would allow it to provide various services, including machine-to-machine cellular data service for in-vehicle infotainment access.

“Tesla does not, and does not intend to, own or operate transmission facilities in Canada,” its application outlined.

In its decision, the CRTC says it approves the license for 10 years after being satisfied the request won’t lead to “anti-competitive behaviour.”

“The Commission notes that a BITS licence does not by itself authorize an entity to operate as a facilities-based carrier or non-facilities-based service provider. All entities who provide services as a facilities-based carrier must at all times comply with the appropriate regulatory framework,” the decision states.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: CRTC

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft confirms it’s testing a revamped volume mixer for Windows 11

Earlier this year, Microsoft’s work on a revamped volume mixer for Windows 11 leaked. Now the company has confirmed it’s testing a new volume mixer in a post about Windows 11 Preview Build 25309, which is rolling out to testers in the Windows 11 Insider Dev channel.

The new volume mixer appears in the quick settings panel and can be accessed by clicking the Wi-Fi/sound/battery icons in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar. Microsoft also added a keyboard shortcut to access it (Win+Ctrl+V).

The volume mixer adds several quality-of-life improvements to Windows 11’s volume controls. It adds the ability to quickly swap between audio outputs like headphones and speakers, adjust the volume of individual apps, toggle spatial audio technologies and more.

New volume mixer in Windows 11

New volume mixer in Windows 11 | Image credit: Microsoft

As was pointed out back in January when the feature leaked, the changes largely mirror what’s offered in a third-party app called EarTrumpet created almost five years ago to fix the various limitations of the Windows 10 volume controls.

It’s not clear when Microsoft will roll out the new volume mixer for all, but at least now we know for sure the company is testing it. It should eventually make its way into stable Windows 11.

Source: Microsoft Via: The Verge