Category: Mobile Syrup

Categories
Mobile Syrup

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s new trailer is upping the ante for fans

Nintendo has dropped the third and final trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The nearly four-minute look at this year’s highly anticipated game gave us a deeper look at The Breath of the Wild sequel.

We’re a month away from the follow-up to 2017’s Breath of the Wild. Fans have already been clamouring for Tears of the Kingdom but that didn’t stop Nintendo from dropping an exciting last overview of the game’s various vistas, cinematics, and enemies.

The trailer starts out innocent enough. Nintendo treats us to some calming peeks of Hyrule and the elevated Sky Islands. However, it isn’t long until the looming threat of Ganondorf and the malice shadows over Link, Zelda, and their friends.

Nintendo is still keeping a lot close to its chest as far as what players will be doing in Tears of the Kingdom. However, there is a bit we can glean from this latest trailer. The first is the amount of returning characters from Breath of the Wild. Characters like Riju and Prince Sidon can be seen in various snippets of the video. 

Zelda is also prominently featured throughout the trailer, now sporting a new haircut. While fans are eager to know whether Zelda will become a playable character, there’s little evidence so far to suggest the game will change perspectives from the silent protagonist, Link.

Tears of the Kingdom also features a lot of new faces and characters. Of course, this includes the triumphant—and admittedly haunting—return of Ganondorf. The trailer also gives up a bit of a glance at various puzzles and what looks to be dungeons. Though, as fans have long begged classic dungeons to be featured in the game, we’re still uncertain what the scope is. 

Overall, it’s a very strong trailer, and the anticipation within the fandom is already high. Though, from the looks of it, this trailer cranked the excitement up a few more notches.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch on May 12th. Nintendo is also launching a Tears of the Kingdom-themed Switch OLED model. This special edition Switch launches on April 28th for $469.99.

In related news, MobileSyrup has partnered with Nintendo of Canada to send you and a friend to New York for the launch of Tears of the Kingdom. Learn more about that contest here.

Image credit: Nintendo

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Chatr rolls out 4GB bonus data deal on 3G and 4G plans

Chatr is offering new customers who sign up for autopay 4GB of bonus data for 12 months.

The deal is similar to a recent offering from Lucky Mobile. However, unlike Lucky, Chatr’s deal applies to 3G and 4G plans.

The deal on 3G plans applies to the $35/month 2.5GB, $40/month 5GB, $50/month 10GB, $60/month 15GB, and $70/month 20GB offerings.

The bonus data is available on all 4G plan offerings, which start at $40/month for 2.5GB.

It’s worth noting that the 4GB of bonus data includes the 2GB bonus Chatr gives to customers for signing up for autopay. In other words, you’re really only getting 2GB extra.

Chatr’s offer expires on April 17th.

Source: Chatr

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Lucky Mobile offering 4GB of bonus data for 12 months

Lucky Mobile is offering new activations bonus data for a 12-month period.

Users have until April 17th to redeem the offer for an extra 4GB of monthly data when they register to pay for monthly charges through Auto Top-Up.

The offer is only available on plans costing $35/month or more at 3G speeds. This means the offer can be used for 4.5GB for $35/month, 7GB for $40/month, 12GB for $50/month, and 22GB for $70/month plans.

However, the Bell-owned brand isn’t the only one offering a bonus. Chatr is offering a similar deal.

Source: Lucky Mobile 

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Android users might have to pay Snap’s subscription fee to access dark mode

Snapchat’s Android users may have to pay to access dark mode, a feature that’s free for iOS users.

According to Alessandro Paluzzi, a leaker following Snap’s rollout of the function for Android since 2021, it might only be available for Snpachat+ subscribers.

A screenshot shares three options under the “App Appearance” segment, “Always Light,” “Always Dark,” and “Match System.”

The subscription service costs $4.99 in Canada and gives users access to a number of exclusive features. However, dark mode is not something Snpachat+ users with iPhones currently pay for.

At this time, it’s unclear if Snap will run with the paid feature for Android users. It’s also not known when exactly these Snapchat users will be able to access dark mode.

Image credit: Snap

Source: @alex193a Via: 9to5Google

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Virgin Plus joins Fido, Koodo in raising some plan prices by $2

Bell flanker brand Virgin Plus joined Koodo and Fido in increasing the prices of select plans.

Koodo and Fido raised the prices of their unlimited talk and text plan, 15GB plan and 20GB plan by $2 earlier this week. Now Virgin has matched the prices.

Virgin now charges $62/mo for its 15GB plan and $67/mo for its 20GB plan. It also charges $35/mo for the unlimited talk and text plan, though it’s worth noting that Virgin previously increased that plan from $33 to $34 – now it’s up another $1 to match Koodo and Fido. (It’s also important to note that Fido’s plans are actually $5 more than comparable plans at Koodo and Virgin because it offers a $5 auto-pay discount.)

Virgin Plus plan prices as of April 13th, 2023

As we previously detailed in our reporting on the Fido and Koodo price increases, these changes are particularly frustrating, coming after a period of relatively decent deals. Earlier this month, Virgin, Fido and Koodo offered double data deals and a $10/mo credit that, combined, could net customers $55/mo 30GB and $50/mo 20GB plans. Moreover, during Black Friday, Canadians could get a $45/50GB plan from the three providers.

Worse, the cost of unlimited talk and text plans has steadily increased over the last year or so – unlimited talk and text cost $30/mo in January 2022 and briefly cost $27/mo in August 2022, thanks to a promotion. Particularly egregious is the high cost of pay-per-use data on these plans – Virgin charges $20 per gigabyte up to 8GB and then $0.02 per megabyte after (which works out to about $20/GB anyway). Virgin increased its data overage rate last month.

Thankfully there are better offers out there for talk and text. Several other providers, including Lucky Mobile, Public Mobile, Chatr Mobile and Freedom Mobile, offer plans with unlimited talk and text for around $25/mo. Most of these also include about 1GB of data, making them even better value than the talk and text options available at Virgin, Fido and Koodo.

Source: Virgin Plus

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Opensignal’s new report analyzes the best broadband internet provider by province

Aerial view of mobile phone cell tower to illustrate lack of broadband internet service in rural areas and need for investment

Ever wondered who the best home internet provider was in Canada?

Well, according to a recent analysis by Opensignal, it depends on the province you reside in.

The company found a number of factors contribute to the experience, including location, types of available infrastructure, and available provider providers.

There are two types of fixed broadband in Canada: cable providers using hybrid fibre coax (HFC), and fibre networks, noted as fibre to the premise (FTTP) services.

The analysis examines the experience of Opensignal users in Alberta, Atlantic Provinces, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Since one factor can’t determine the best type of provider, the analysis also examines six different areas, including how consistent the quality is, download speeds, and upload speeds.

Overall, Bell and Telus’ fibre services rate highly in the markets where they are offered. But their availability is limited in Canada.

Albert and B.C.

Both provinces have three fixed broadband providers: Telus Fibre, Shaw, and Telus’s non-fibre services.

In Alberta, Telus Fibre and Shaw are the two major players but Telus outweighs Shaw in five of the six categories. Broadband Consistent Quality for Telus, which measures users’ network experience across a number of different areas, was 2.6 percentage points higher than Shaw.

However, Shaw does have faster download speeds, according to Opensignal users, with an average of 145.8Mbps, 18.7 percent faster than Telus Fibre.

In B.C., Telus Fibre also dominates most catteries. The analysis notices upload speed from the provider “is a clear standout, as users are able to experience upload speeds that are thrice as fast as those observed by Shaw.”

BC broadband experience

Image credit: Opensignal

Atlantic Canada

Bell, Rogers, and Eastlink are the leading players in the area. According to the analysis, Rogers’ customers enjoy the fastest download speeds, clocking in at 159Mbps.

However, Bell’s fibre network leads in upload speed, which is 3.1 times faster than Rogers and 6.6 times than Eastlink. Along with Eastlink, Bell Fibre also offers the best consistent quality.

Manitoba

Shaw and Bell MTS are the main providers in the province. Shaw has better experience than Bell MTS in five categories. They both share the spot in broadband success rate, which measures Wi-Fi networks.

Shaw’s broadband download speeds are 3.7 times faster than MTS. Upload speeds are 1.8 times faster.

Ontario

In Ontario, Bell Fibre leads scores across the board compared to Rogers, Cogeco and Bell’s non-fibre services.

Bell Fibre and Rogers tied for top download speeds, which are 53 percent faster than Cogeco, the third competitor on the list.

Ontario broadband speeds

Image credit: Opensignal

Quebec

Quebec is the only Canadian market part of the analysis that lists Vidéotron as a leading provider.

However, the company doesn’t compare to Bell’s fibre services, which has the fastest broadband download speeds in the province at 151Mbps. It’s twice as fast compared to Vidéotron’s network. Bell fibre also has the highest upload speeds in the province, with an average of 115Mbps.

Saskatchewan

This is the only market where Sakstel operates. However, it doesn’t compare to the services offered by its closest competitor, Shaw.

Shaw’s broadband download speed averages 142Mbps, 3.5 times faster than the average download speeds seen by SaskTel customers at roughly 40Mbps.

However, both companies have similar upload speeds.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Anker portable chargers are up to 27 percent off

Anker has some great deals on portable chargers, which is truly great timing for the upcoming seasons while you’re on the go.

Check these out below Amazon Canada below:

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though we may earn a commission on purchases made via these links that helps fund the journalism provided free on our website.

Source: Amazon Canada

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Toronto-made action-RPG Ravenlok coming to Xbox Game Pass and PC on May 4

Toronto-based indie game developer Cococucumber has announced that its upcoming action-RPG Ravenlok will release on Xbox consoles (including Xbox Game Pass) and PC on May 4th.

In the game, you play as the eponymous teenager as she’s transported into a magical world and tasked with stopping the evil Caterpillar Queen. Along the way, you’ll meet strange creatures, complete quests and fight monsters in real-time combat.

Ravenlok was first revealed during last summer’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. It’s the final game in Cococucumber’s “Voxel Trilogy” of standalone games with a unique pixel-based art style, following 2017’s Riverbond and 2021’s Echo Generation. The latter title took home several honours at last year’s The Game Awards, including Best Indie Game.

Pre-orders for the game will open on April 20th on Xbox and the Epic Games Store. Cococucumber will also offer an exclusive Raven Wings helmet as a pre-order bonus until launch day.

For more on Ravenlok, check out our interview with game director Vanessa Chia.

Image credit: Cococucumber

Categories
Mobile Syrup

OpenAI will reward you with up to $20,000 for finding ChatGPT bugs

OpenAI is committed to making the ChatGPT experience better for all users. The platform has announced a new bug bounty program that tasks the public with finding bugs in ChatGPT, including vulnerabilities and security flaws.

“We are inviting the global community of security researchers, ethical hackers, and technology enthusiasts to help us identify and address vulnerabilities in our systems,” wrote OpenAI. “We are excited to build on our coordinated disclosure commitments by offering incentives for qualifying vulnerability information. Your expertise and vigilance will have a direct impact on keeping our systems and users secure.”

OpenAI is partnering with Bugcrowd, a crowdsourced cybersecurity platform, to manage the submission of bugs and the eventual reward process. The bounty program is open to all, and rewards range from $200 to $20,000 USD (about $269 to $26,876 CAD) for low-severity and exceptional discoveries, respectively.

ChatGPT has experienced several bugs in the past. In a recent incident, the entire system went offline after users reported seeing titles of chats they weren’t a part of. Further, Twitter user @rez0__ discovered over 80 secret plugins while hacking ChatGPT.

It’s worth noting that not all issues reported to the company will be eligible for a reward. OpenAI has stated that issues such as jailbreaking or getting the model to say or pretend to do anything negative will not qualify. It remains to be seen how successful OpenAI’s Bug Bounty Program will be in mitigating security risks for ChatGPT. However, this initiative highlights the importance of cybersecurity OpenAI’s commitment to making AI safe for all.

Click here to participate in OpenAI’s Bug Bounty Program.

Source: OpenAI

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google’s Pixel 8 reported to feature a smaller 6.16-inch display

Google is reportedly ending the trend of ever-increasing smartphone sizes with the upcoming Pixel 8.

According to display analyst Ross Young, vias 9to5Google, the Pixel 8 will feature a display panel measuring 6.16 inches, smaller than the previous Pixel 7 and the upcoming Pixel 8 Pro.

Rumours of a smaller Pixel 8 have been circulating for a while now. In March, unofficial renders of the Pixel 8 leaked online, indicating that the device will feature a 6.2-inch display, as shared by leaker @OnLeaks.

According to the leak, along with the smaller display, the Pixel 8 was also reported to have thinner bezels and more rounded corners than its predecessor.

While not drastically smaller than the Pixel 7, the Pixel 8 will certainly feel quite small compared to its larger counterpart, the Pixel 8 Pro, which will reportedly retain the same 6.7-inch panel as its predecessor. The move towards a smaller size will put Google’s phone in closer competition with its main rivals, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 and Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro, both of which feature a 6.1-inch display.

From what we know so far, the Pixel 8 will likely sport a new Tensor G3 processor and that it will likely launch in the fall alongside the Pixel 8 Pro. However, we could see the Pixel 8 teased at Google’s upcoming I/O developer conference in May, but it sounds like I/O will prominently feature other much-hyped Pixel phones too.

Image credit: @OnLeaks

Source: @DSCCRoss, Via: 9to5Google