While the smartphone line is very similar to last year’s iPhone 12 family, the entire series features a smaller display notch, Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, a new video mode that allows for selective software-powered focus, battery life improvements and sensor shift camera technology.
The 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini and 6.1-inch iPhone 13 have specifically received upgrades to their wide and ultrawide cameras that should result in better quality images and improved low-light performance. This year’s base-level iPhone colours include the following: ‘Pink,’ ‘Blue,’ ‘Midnight,’ ‘Starlight’ and ‘Product Red.’
On the other hand, the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max feature displays with a 120Hz refresh rate and, as usual, 2.5x and 2x optical zoom, respectively, through their telephoto lens.
This year’s Pro and Pro Max colours include ‘Graphite,’ ‘Gold,’ ‘Silver’ and the new aqua blue-like ‘Sierra Blue.’
Apple’s iPhone 13 line is set to be available on September 24th.
Note: We’re still waiting on Canadian carrier pricing for Apple’s entire iPhone 13 lineup. This story will be updated with a brief overview of that information when it becomes available.
Telus’ annual Kits for Kids program is back again this year.
This year, the carrier is donating 14,000 backpacks that each include a pencil case, coloured pencils, pencils, pens, erasers, a flexible ruler, exercise books, loose-leaf papers and a Telus Wise insert with tips and resources on how to keep kids safe online.
Since 2006, Telus has provided 180,000 free backpacks to kids across the country, as well as nearly one million care items in local communities and 30,000 refurbished computers to local schools.
“As families across the country begin a new school year, many find themselves struggling with the financial challenges this season presents, which are compounded by the ongoing pandemic,” said Darren Entwistle, the president and CEO of Telus, in a press statement.
In addition to the donations, Telus says more than 5,000 retired and current employees participate as community ambassadors in 23 clubs across B.C, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
Too Good To Go, an anti-food waste app that entered the Canadian market and officially launched in Toronto back in July, has now expanded its services to Vancouver.
According to Too Good To Go’s press release, “food waste has a significant economic impact as well, in British Columbia an estimated $1.3 billion worth of food is wasted per year in food store and food service businesses, which is 57 percent more than the estimated profit in those sectors.”
The company and its app enable the general public and local restaurants to combat food wastage by providing ‘Surprise Bags’ containing food that would otherwise go to waste at the end of the day.
Too Good To Go has launched with over 90 partners in Vancouver, including four popular local sustainability leaders: Nada, Terra Breads, Flourist and Be Fresh. Further, the company notes that more partners will be added “every day.”
The app has more than 44 million users globally who have helped save more than 91 million meals since 2016. In Toronto alone, the company and its users have saved over 20,000 meals from over 350 partner restaurants since July, and the company expects a similar response from users on the west coast.
The company plans to expand throughout Canada in the coming months.
A new third-party internet service provider (ISP) is launching in Western Canada.
In a press release on September 15th, Babbl Communications officially announced its new home internet services for residents of British Columbia.
As part of its “early release” stage, Babbl’s services are only available to residents in three B.C. cities: Richmond, Parksville and Nanaimo.
In those regions, the ISP is launching with three “no hassle cancel” (i.e. no contract) plans: 75Mbps for $49 per month, 100Mbps for $59 per month, and 300Mbps for $89 per month.
Each plan is also subject to a $50 one-time activation and delivery fee.
Western Canada is a hotspot — if you’ll forgive the pun — for ISP discourse at the moment.
For instance, Bell is taking Vidéotron’s owner Quebecor to court over the latter’s recent purchase of internet spectrum in Western Canada — a region where the Quebec-based ISP does not currently offer services.
Meanwhile, Telus — Western Canada’s largest telecommunications company — is investing $13 billion in British Columbia specifically to expand its internet infrastructure and 5G network.
Now that the hype surrounding Apple’s recently unveiled iPhone 13 series has is starting to die down, Google is ramping up its advertisements for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro and letting everyone know that its in-house Tensor-chip devices are on their way.
Yesterday, we reported that Google has started advertising its Pixel 6 series with a new brand of potato chips in Japan called ‘Google Original (Potato) Chips.’ The Google Original Chips feature a bag design that matches the back of the Pixel 6 series and comes in five colours that coincide with the Pixel 6 series.
Google is only launching one flavour, however, called “Googley Salty Flavor.” On top of that, Google even released a teaser trailer of the new phone, giving fans a first look at the device being used in the real world.
Now, billboards advertising the Pixel 6 series are popping up in cities in the U.S., including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The billboards are designed keeping the Pixel 6 lineup’s colour theme in mind, with soft pink and yellow serving as the backdrop. The billboards show the devices’ home screen with colour-matching clock widgets, Google search bar and icons, thanks to the new Material You themes in Android 12.
I photographed the new @Google Pixel 6 campaign. I never thought I’d be able to say those words. This is my first ad campaign and my first billboard. I’m so unbelievably grateful. If you see these in NY, LA, or SF – please send me a photo! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/VVG6RdBrE8
Google hasn’t yet shared a release date, though the company has stated that the Pixel 6 series will arrive in the fall. However, rumours point to an October release.
For reference, early 2021’s Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with its Snapdragon 888 chipset received a 927 single-core score and a 3,096 multi-core score. Similarly, the One Plus 9 had a single-core score of 1,068 and a multi-core score of 3,393. However, these are pre-release benchmark scores and should be taken with a grain of salt.
On the bright side, rumours indicate the Pixel 6 Pro will sport an LTPO display, allowing it to have an adaptive refresh rate, which will conserve the high-end device’s battery.
Now, some users are saying they’re seeing the update on the Google Photos app.
Spotted by Android Police, the updated Photos app will offer subdued pastels, sort of like the Keep app. Mostly, Android 12 devices are getting this update, but reports indicate older devices are seeing it, too.
The app will feature an oval Search bar, oval highlights on the navigation panel on the bottom, and a rounded-off ‘shared’ album button.
It seems to lack the ‘Dynamic Color’ feature and is only matching basic light or dark themes but not adjusting to your wallpaper.
According to AP, the update doesn’t seem to be linked to any version of the app. It’s also likely that the ‘Dynamic Color’ update will hit when Android 12 officially launches. Rumour has it that Android 12 will officially launch on October 4th.
Based on a recent FCC filing, there’s a possibility Nintendo could be working on a new controller for the Switch.
The filing, first uncovered by Vooks, features the model code ‘HAC-O43,’ which is just one number higher than Nintendo’s SNES controller for the Switch. The only other things we know about the gamepad are that it uses Bluetooth, it draws more power than the current Joy-Cons, and, according to The Verge, look different in some way.
However, other than this, the gamepad is a bit of a mystery and photos included in the filing are listed as “confidential.”
It’s possible Nintendo could be working on a new version of its Joy-Cons that don’t feature the dreaded drift issue. On the other hand, this could be a successor to the excellent Switch Pro Controller or possibly an entirely new gamepad designed for the OLED Switch releasing in October.
It’s unclear if the OLED Switch’s Joy-Cons have been redesigned to solve the gamepads’ drift problem, though early signs point to them being identical to the standard Switch Joy-Cons.
In other Nintendo-related news, the gaming giant added Bluetooth audio support to the console more than four and a half years after its release in 2017. I guess Bluetooth finally coming to the Switch is better late than never, right?
While we don’t know a lot about Google’s upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6, we expect it to boast a 120Hz display at least, and according to tipster Ross Young, the Pixel 6 Pro will feature a Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) display, giving some credibility to the rumours.
For reference, other devices that sport an LTPO display are the Galaxy S21 Ultra, One Plus 9 Pro, Note 20 Ultra and more.
An LTPO display will allow the Pixel 6 Pro to have an adaptive refresh rate, which means the phone can automatically change its refresh rate in the 10Hz to 120Hz range, depending on what you’re doing on the device.
A little late but we confirmed that the Google Pixel 6 Pro is LTPO…Also confirmed that there will be a Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with a 14.6″ OLED.
Further, Young comments that the panel Google will use for the Pixel 6 Pro is Samsung’s E5, known for its excellent colour reproduction with up to one billion colours.
