Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Apple to reportedly hold second fall hardware event for iPad and MacBook Pro reveal

During Apple’s September 14th event, we’ll likely see the iPhone 13 series, the Apple Watch Series 7 and a new pair of AirPods.

What we probably won’t catch a glimpse of are the tech giant’s new entry-level iPad/iPad mini and the long-awaited MacBook Pro refresh.

According to a recent tweet from Bloomberg’s nearly always reliable Mark Gurman, Apple reportedly plans to hold two events: one for the “iPhone/Watch” and another later this fall for the “Mac + iPad.” This backs up previous rumours that circulated a few months ago.

While Apple’s iPad refresh is rumoured to only feature a new processor and possibly a thinner design, the iPad mini will reportedly get the iPad Pro treatment with more squared-off sides and the removal of the home button. On the other hand, Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro redesign is rumoured to include a new version of MagSafe, an SD card slot, an entirely new look an and upgraded version of Apple’s M1 chip.

Source: @markgurman

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Mobile Syrup

Android 12 is expected to launch on October 4th

The editor-in-chief of XDA Developers, Mishall Rahman, seems to have uncovered Android 12’s release date — at least as far as Pixel devices are concerned.

Rahman discovered that Android U will launch for the Android Open Souce Project (AOSP) on October 4th, 2021. And, if history is set to repeat itself, the official version of Android 12 for Pixel phones should drop as well.

While this date represents when the update will hit Pixel devices, it’s unclear when it will make its way to other manufacturers’ devices like OnePlus and Samsung.

During the Android 11 release cycle, the full and ASOP versions were both released on the same day. This is by no means an indication that the October 4th release date is 100 percent real, but we think there’s a very high probability that it’s correct.

Rahman says that three other people have also mentioned the 4th as the release date. We’re also expecting the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to release in October, so this time frame matches that window.

This date also lines up with the fact that we got another Android 12 beta update earlier this month.

If you’re unfamiliar, Android 12 will bring a brand new look to Pixel smartphones and likely several other alterations. The update also brings Google’s Material Design update to the next level with ‘Material You,’ a new set of colour-changing guidelines that adapt to your home screen wallpaper’s colour.

Source: @MishallRahman

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Mobile Syrup

Xplornet acquires Manitoba-based ISP Swift High Speed

Xplornet Communications is expanding further into the prairie provinces with its recent acquisition of Swift High Speed, a Manitoba-based broadband provider.

According to the press release, Xplornet will gain 6,000 customers across rural southeastern Manitoba, 218 km of fibre optic network, and 119 broadcast tower locations in the deal.

The acquisition is part of Xplornet’s ongoing plan to bulk up its 5G network and infrastructure in rural Manitoba.

In May 2021, the internet service provider purchased over 160 cell towers in the province, with another two towers launched in February.

Xplornet itself is headquartered in New Brunswick, and focuses specifically on delivering high-speed internet to rural parts of Canada.

Source: Xplornet 

 

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Mobile Syrup

Succession season three hits Crave on October 17

Succession, a show that is basically just about rich white people doing crappy things, is on its way back to Bell’s Crave streaming service this October.

The HBO Original’s third season will stream on Crave starting on October 17th. 

Succession follows the story of the media titan Roy family as the head of the family’s three offspring all aim to take control of the family business.

The series stars Nicholas Braun, Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Brian Cox, Matthew Macfayden and my favourite personal favourite, Kieran Culkin’s Roman Roy.

The artwork for the new season features various members of the family in slightly shifted positions depending on what social media platform you look at (Twitter, Facebook or Instagram).

A standard Crave subscription is priced at $9.99/month and HBO costs an additional $9.99/month.

Source: @Succession

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Mobile Syrup

Huge GeForce Now leaks teases tons of PlayStation, unannounced games on PC

A datamine of Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service has seemingly leaked a slew of games that are coming to PC.

As broken down on Reddit, C++ developer Ighor July found listings for dozens of games from PlayStation and other companies that haven’t yet been confirmed to be coming to PC.

Firstly, PlayStation exclusives God of War (2018), Returnal, Demon’s Souls and Ghost of Tsushima are all listed. Further, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection — which was only confirmed last week for both PS5 and PC — is listed with its full, accurate title.

Overall, these ports aren’t too surprising, as PlayStation said in May that it plans to bring more of its games to PC following the successful launch of Horizon Zero Dawn on the platform. Sony also recently acquired Nixxes, a studio with significant PC experience, as part of this initiative. Interestingly, though, PlayStation exclusives Marvel’s Spider-Man and Bloodborne were not listed in the database.

But what’s arguably more interesting is that the datamine also points to the existence of a variety of unannounced games, including Resident Evil 4 Remake, Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Remasters, Titanfall 3, Kingdom Hearts IV, BioShock 2022, Final Fantasy IX Remake, Injustice 3: Gods Will Fall and three new, untitled games from Square Enix.

Some of these are games we’ve heard credible reports on but have not yet been confirmed by their respective publishers, like RE4 Remake and the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy remaster. However, games like Kingdom Hearts IV, Final Fantasy IX Remake and Injustice 3 are somewhat surprising to see.

It’s important to stress that these listings aren’t solid confirmations of existing games. These could be placeholder titles, prototypes for games that ultimately become significantly changed or projects that have been (or will be) cancelled. We’ve even seen a major video game convention use random words like “Canada” when testing a list of banned words for its forums and website.

However, Windows Central, a credible source for Microsoft-related news, lent some weight to these listings by corroborating the Xbox-specific games that were listed in the database. This includes Gears 6 from the Vancouver-based The Coalition, a new Forza, Project “Typhoon” (which it says is Avalanche’s recently revealed Contraband) and a new strategy simulator codenamed “Oxide.”

Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see from the individual publishers about each of these games, which could be a while given the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Ighor July

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra to reportedly feature ultra-thin bezels

Samsung is currently working on slimming down the bezels of its upcoming flagship tablet.

The tech behind this, ‘Border Reduction Structure’ (BRS), is a new bezel-less display technology designed for Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and select other smartphones.

According to the leak, the Galaxy S22 will also feature BRS technology as it won’t hit shelves until late 2022. A rumour from Naver and @FrontTron says that the Tab S8 Ultra will use BRS for certain aspects of the tablet’s bezels.

The report doesn’t include the dimensions of the BRS, but it does say that it will be thinner than the S21+’s thinnest bezel.

Thin bezels combined with an Under Display Camera will make for a pretty interesting tablet.

Source: SamMobile

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Mobile Syrup

Telus’s 24/7 Apple Watch emergency alert service now available in French

Telus Health Companion service for Apple Watch, which provides support and emergency services to seniors living at home, is now offered in both of Canada’s official languages.

First launched in May 2021, the 24/7 service uses the Apple Watch’s fall detection API and location data to flag when wearers have fallen down.

A Telus Health operator then speaks to the wearer  — now in English or French — via the watch, and can remotely alert their emergency contacts or call 911 if help is needed.

Telus is currently charging $30 per month for the service, if you already have an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer.

Otherwise, you can pay $54 per month to buy the watch and service as a bundle through a 2-year payment plan.

In order to work, the service also needs to be linked up to an iPhone 6s or later with up-to-date iOS and a wireless Telus plan.

Source: Telus

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Mobile Syrup

Leaked photos reveal new iPhone 13 case colours

Despite the fact that Apple’s iPhone 13 event is just a day away, leaks regarding the tech giant’s next iPhone are still appearing.

Following a rumour that the largest storage option for the iPhone 13 Pro/iPhone 13 Pro Max will be 1TB, we’ve caught a glimpse of very official-looking leaked cases for Apple’s upcoming smartphone line.

Shared on Twitter via an account called @MajinBuOfficial, the images include a screenshot and a photo of several iPhone 13 cases. The colour options look very similar to last year’s official Apple iPhone 12 cases save for a few new additions, including a cool-looking orange option.

The cases show off the same rather large square cutout featured in the iPhone 12 series and squared-off edges, which backs up rumours regarding the smartphone.

At the tech giant’s September 14th event, Apple is expected to reveal the iPhone 13 series, the Apple Watch Series 7 and new AirPods.

For more detail on what to expect from Apple’s next hardware event, check out my recap.

Source: @MajinBuOfficial Via: iMore 

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Mobile Syrup

Amazon to hire more than 15,000 full-time and part-time employees in Canada

Amazon is hiring more than 15,000 full-time and part-time employees across all of Canada throughout the fall and will increase employee wages.

Frontline employees will receive $17 to $21.65 per hour with comprehensive benefits starting from the first day. According to an Amazon press release, the benefits include health, dental, and vision. The company will also offer training and education programs like the Career Choice program and family support plans.

Current, full-time, and part-time employees will also get $1.60 to $2.20 per hour starting immediately, regardless of their tenure.

Further, Amazon says that each of its full-time employees has access to the following benefits:

  • Wages from $17 per hour to $21.65 per hour, with a $100 bonus for new and current employees who show proof of vaccination
  • Comprehensive health benefits starting on day one with no waiting period
  • RRSP matching
  • Stock units
  • Kids & Company special packages including a guaranteed spot at Kids & Company Child Care locations within six months of registration, a 10 percent  discount off monthly in-center tuition, waived registration fees, back-up care options and access to virtual workshops and events
  • Employee and Family Assistance Plan provided by LifeWorks and available 24/7 to help Amazon employees and their family members feel supported, by phone, online, and in-person
  • Access to up-skilling training programs that meet employees where they are, through Amazon’s commitment to invest $75M to skills-train 100,000 Amazonians by 2025
  • Additional paid parental leave benefits for eligible employees

The press release also indicates that all full-time employees can join Amazon’s Career Choice program that can cover up to 95 percent of tuition fees.

In other recent Amazon Canada news, the company expanded in B.C. with new fulfillment sortation centres, closed a warehouse back in May in Ontario, announced plans to launch a robot-operated warehouse in Parkland County, Alberta and cancelled Prime Day in Canada. 

Source: Amazon

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Mobile Syrup

Latest Tesla Full Self-Driving beta looks to build more trust with drivers

The latest and greatest Tesla Full Self Driving beta (version 10) is rolling out to testers, and early reports claim it’s driving with more confidence on city streets.

Users have noticed improved visuals and fewer on-screen stats to make the build feel closer to what the polished version might look like. They also report that the on-screen car is not as twitchy as before, so it also makes the build feel more refined.

On the actual driving side of things, the car is making smarter and more confident decisions off the highway, reports Engadget. It can also make smoother turns around corners and roundabouts. The actual highway driving system has gone unchanged in this update.

These features are also still in beta, so only Tesla insiders can access them, and it’s unclear when the full release might come out.

Overall, this seems like a nice update that’s subtly smoothing out some of the hesitant kinks from previous Full Self Driving beta builds. Tesla likely needs a few more of these before it can actually release some of these features to customers, but it’s still nice to see that it’s getting a little more human-like.

Source: Engadget