Dyson has effectively rebranded its Dyson Link app to MyDyson. As part of the relaunch, the app now includes new features that integrate with several of the company’s smart devices. Additionally, enhanced support is now accessible via the app.
Upon installing the app, users will find new ways to interact with their devices. For those adding Dyson hair care machines or cordless vacuums to the app and profile, they’ll be able to enjoy tailored hair styling and floor care guides. How-to videos are also available. Users can also find and select accessories to purchase online.
For those with Dyson purifiers and humidifiers, the MyDyson app includes new functionality. For instance, users can review real-time indoor and outdoor air quality information. Plus, you can create schedules based on routines and needs. The app also enables remote control access to airflow speed, modes, timers, oscillation, etc. Plus, software updates can be found by connecting the device to the app.
Looking at the Dyson robot vacuum, the MyDyson app enables the ability to control, activate or pause their device remotely. Additionally, schedules and the ability to track cleans are available. Users can swap between Max and Quiet modes via the app, even when a cleaning cycle has started. Activity maps, the creation of zones, and software updates can all be found within as well.
Finally, Dyson lights also gain functionality within the app. Users can sync their Dyson light to their location’s natural daylight. MyDyson also enables access to presets, including ‘Relax,’ ‘Study’ and ‘Precision.’ Users can also activate Boost mode for a temporary 20-minute window of high-intensity light. Once again, software updates are available within the app.
To no surprise, there’s limited functionality to Dyson’s hair care machines and cordless vacuums. The MyDyson app certainly tailors more to those with Dyson’s smart home devices. However, 24/7 support, including chat, is available for all machines.
As of now, there are voice control options with Amazon Alexa. However, this feature is limited to Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. There’s no word on when or if Canada is receiving similar support.
Every month, Xbox brings new titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
Normally, these come in two waves and now, the company has revealed what’s hitting Game Pass in the first half of October.
Chivalry 2 (Cloud, Console and PC) — October 4th
Medieval Dynasty (Xbox Series X/S) — October 6th
The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (PC) — October 6th
The Walking Dead: Season Two (PC) — October 6th
Costume Quest (Cloud and Console) — October 11th
Eville (Console and PC) — October 11th
Dyson Sphere Program (PC) — October 13th
Scorn (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) — October 14th
A Plague Tale: Requiem (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) — October 18th
It’s worth noting that Chivalry 2 was made by Toronto’s Torn Banner.
Meanwhile, here’s what’s leaving Xbox Game Pass on October 15th:
Bloodroots (Cloud, Console and PC)
Echo Generation (Cloud, Console and PC)
Into The Pit (Cloud, Console and PC)
Ring of Pain (Cloud, Console and PC)
Sable (Cloud, Console and PC)
The Good Life (Cloud, Console and PC)
As always, Game Pass subscribers can take advantage of an exclusive 20 percent discount to purchase any game in the catalogue and keep playing even after it leaves Game Pass.
Google’s smart home hub app is finally getting a facelift.
According to the tech giant, the new app’s goal is to offer users more customization through a new ‘Favourites tab’ that aims to make it easier to access the smart home devices you use the most. As someone with dozens of connected devices in their Home app but only regularly accesses a few of them, I’m looking forward to this feature.
The tech giant is also adding a new feature to Home called ‘Spaces’ that allows you to group several smart home devices under one category. For example, if you have a pet camera and feeder for your cat, you can now create a custom space. Google says that the new Home app also features pre-created Spaces for categories like lights, cameras and thermostats.
Other new features include an in-app media mini player that lets you see what content is playing in your home and a refreshed Nest camera experience that gives you quick information about your device directly in the Home app. For example, you can now find important moments captured by the new Nest Doorbell directly in the Home app.
Finally, Google is also expanding ‘Household Routines’ to support more smart home devices and has plans to launch a detailed Home app script editor in 2023. It’s also worth mentioning that overall, Google’s new Home app looks cleaner and easier to navigate.
The new Home app is coming to iOS and Android through Google’s public preview program in the coming weeks. It’s unclear when the final version of Google’s new Home app will be released.
Nintendo has rolled out Splatoon 3 widgets on Android and iOS for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.
Using version 2.3.0 of the Switch Online app, members can add the following three widgets for the recently released ink-based shooter to their mobile devices:
A photo album
Battle log to show recent wins and losses
A stage schedule to stay up to date on the upcoming rotations for various game modes
It’s a surprising move for Nintendo, as the company has historically been slow to adopt modern online features and is instead known for overly complicated practices like friend codes and locking voice chat behind a mobile app.
Splatoon 3 launched earlier this month exclusively on Nintendo Switch. For more on the game, check out our review.
Playing off the style of classic games like Brick Breaker or Pong, app developer Kriss Smolka has come up with inventive use of the new ‘Dynamic Island’ display cut-out.
In Hit the Island, your goal is to hit the Dynamic Island with a fast-moving ball bouncing around the screen by sliding your paddle.
As you hit the Island, you’ll score points, and the game becomes faster. More balls eventually appear, and the game’s paddles start shrinking, too.
Though a simple concept, Hit the Island is surprisingly compelling and the first example of a title that uses the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island uniquely.
Subway Canada has announced the launch of Subway Delivery. The company’s app now delivers sandwiches and cookies directly to customers.
The app now offers more customizations, exclusive digital deals and the ability to redeem gift cards. Previously, Subway delivery was only available via Uber Eats, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes.
Subway says delivery is free through its mobile app until October 2nd.
Lastly, the company’s latest ad features Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse.
You can download the Subway app on iOS and Android.
Walmart has announced a new ‘Virtual Try-On’ apparel experience that allows users to virtually wear the retailer’s clothing at home.
The experience allows users to use their own photos to visualize how a certain article of clothing will look on them.
According to the company, the experience is called “Be Your Own Model,” and it “leverages algorithms and intricate machine learning models to simulate how clothing will look on you.”
Walmart says the technology is capable of simulating shadows, fabric draping and where clothing falls on a person’s body shape in seconds.
“For example, a single shirt can come in six different colors, seven different sizes and two sleeve lengths. Our technology captures all the variations and shows how they look uniquely on each individual,” said the company.
Walmart can also scale the technology largely. The feature is available on more than 270,000 articles of clothing across Walmart’s portfolio of exclusive, elevated brands and private brands, including items on the Walmart Marketplace.
As a user, you’ll have to take a photo of yourself from the Walmart app on your smartphone in a well-lit room and share your height. You’ll then be able to view yourself as the model to try out clothing on the Walmart app.
The feature is rolling out now on the Walmart iOS app in the U.S. MobileSyrup has reached out to Walmart regarding Canadian availability.
Learn more about “Be Your Own M0del” and “Virtual Try-On” here.
There are few things I enjoy more than a sketchy, likely not accurate iPhone leak, especially when it relates to a piece of hardware Apple often pretends doesn’t exist.
As reported by 9to5Mac and tweeted by Shrimp Apple Pro, a recent Weibo social media post states that all versions of the iPhone 14 will feature 6GB of RAM, alongside a purported leaked image of the smartphone’s packaging.
If accurate, this would be the third year in a row that Apple’s ‘Pro’ iPhones feature 6GB of RAM but would be a bump up for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, which currently offer 4GB with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini (the mini is expected to be discontinued this year).
It’s worth mentioning that RAM is a technical spec Apple has never emphasized regarding its smartphone line. This is partly because of how tightly integrated iOS is with the smartphone’s hardware, but also because the company’s mobile operating system is far less resource-intensive when compared to Android.
Further, the leaked image from Weibo seems just to be the white pull tab that opens the iPhone 14’s box place on top of a weird render of the iPhone 14 Pro. Why? Who knows. Check it out below, and you’ll likely end up confused, just like me.
As always, approach all leaks with an air of skepticism, especially this one. Yes, it’s a slow news day.
Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro devices are rumoured to feature the tech giant’s A16 chip, while its iPhone 14 devices will stick with the iPhone 13 series’ A15 processor. The Pro models will also likely feature a pill-shaped camera cutout and a 48-megapixel wide camera capable of shooting 8K video.
Apple is expected to reveal its iPhone 14 line at its September 7th ‘Far Out’ event.
Twitter is now rolling out its circle feature to all users. Following months of testing across a “small group” of iOS, Android, and web users, more people can now take advantage of the feature.
Twitter Circles enables users to select up to 150 other users who can see and interact with a Tweet. It allows users to have more control and flexibility on who they engage with on a Tweet-by-Tweet basis.
As part of the announcement, Twitter states that circles were met with “overwhelmingly positive” responses. Now global users across iOS, Android, and the web can now start engaging with the circle feature.
As the feature is now active, users can select whether to share a Tweet with their full list of followers or their circle. If selecting the circle, users can choose up to 150 other people to share with. The selection can always be amended and adjusted on the fly. Plus, Twitter confirms that users will not be notified if they are added or removed from a Circle.
Tweets sent to a circle appear with a green badge indicating the status. These tweets are not able to be shared or Retweeted. Plus, all replies are private, ensuring they stay within your circle.
As part of Twitter’s testing phase, which started in May, the company states it saw an increase in overall Tweeting. Additionally, Tweet engagement rate on circles also increased.
The end of August is fast approaching, meaning there are, effectively, only four months left of 2022. Time flies, eh?
Naturally, this last third of the year is always a big one for entertainment, as companies plan all kinds of releases out in time for the holidays. In the world of gaming, specifically, we have such major upcoming 2022 titles as Splatoon 3 (September 9th), the Canadian-made Gotham Knights (October 21st), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (October 28th) Sonic Frontiers (November 8th), God of War: Ragnarök (November 9th) and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (November 18th).
But while those games are undoubtedly exciting, it’s safe to say most people already know about them. Instead, then, we want to highlight some other titles that are still on the way this year — those that you likely aren’t familiar with. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that any of these could, in theory, get delayed, but for now, here are 10 lesser-known games set to release in late 2022 that are worth keeping your eye on.
Atomic Heart
Platforms: PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC (also on Xbox Game Pass day one) Release date: TBA late 2022
While we’re still who-knows-how-many-years away from the next BioShock, developer Mundfish has a new action-RPG that should hopefully fill that void. Enter Atomic Heart, a retrofuturistic adventure set in an alternate USSR in 1955. In the game, players assume the role of a mentally unstable KGB agent who must investigate a facility overrun by robots and other freakish experiments. The appropriately creepy atmosphere gives off BioShock vibes, as does the first-person combat, which mixes traditional gunplay with a special glove that gives you the ability to shoot the likes of fire, lightning and ice.
The Chant
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Release date: November 3rd, 2022
Good horror games don’t seem to come by too often nowadays, but The Chant, the first game from Vancouver-based Brass Token, certainly looks promising. Jess Briars (The Quarry‘s Siobhan Williams) heads to an island for a spiritual retreat, only to discover a deadly cult and all kinds of cosmic horrors. To survive, Jess will have to explore the interconnected areas of Glory Island, manage resources for crafting and use both melee weapons and supernatural abilities. Oh, and Mike Skupa, the lead designer on fan-favourite games Bully and Sleeping Dogs, is the creative director and CEO at Brass Token, which just sweetens the deal.
Harvestella
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC Release date: November 4th, 2022
Sims have become increasingly popular in recent years thanks to the likes of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and now, Square Enix is offering its own unique take on the genre. Notably, the game isn’t just about farming, although that’s certainly a key part of it. In addition to gathering crops, Harvestella has you venturing out to find resources, and you’ll occasionally battle enemies through an MMO-esque combat system. All told, it looks like Stardew Valley meets Final Fantasy, which certainly makes for an intriguing mix-up.
Immortality
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac, Android, iOS (also on Xbox Game Pass on day one) Release date: August 30th, 2022
Sam Barlow (Her Story,Telling Lies) is back with a new interactive FMV game, which features screenwriters Allan Scott (The Queen’s Gambit), Amelia Gray (Mr. Robot) and Barry Gifford (Lost Highway). The game is about a missing film star named Marissa Marcel, who made three films that were never released. As the player, you’ll have to explore lost footage from each film, carve your own path in the mystery and, ultimately, discover what happened to Marcel.
Pentiment
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC (also on Xbox Game Pass on day one) Release date: November 15th, 2022
Josh Sawyer is a big name in gaming thanks to his work on Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity. Now, he’s leading a small team at Xbox-owned veteran studio Obsidian on a fascinating and unique adventure game, Pentiment. Set in 16th-century Bavaria, the game follows journeyman artist Andreas Maler as he investigates a prominent murder for which his friend has been accused. But instead of presenting any gameplay challenges, Sawyer is instead focusing on an open-ended narrative, wherein the game will never outright identify the murderer, but players will have to come to their own conclusions through branching dialogue. Throw in a striking painterly aesthetic that enhances the historical setting and Pentiment looks like a must-play for fans of narrative-driven games.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch (cloud only), PC (also on Xbox Game Pass on day one) Release date: October 18th, 2022
A Plague Tale: Innocence was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2019, and soon, developer Asobo will put forth the sequel. Picking up after the first game, young siblings Amecia and Hugo must find a cure for the latter’s blood disease while fleeing from both French Inquisition soldiers and deadly plague rats. While there’s still a heavy emphasis on stealth, Amecia is a much more capable fighter this time around and can wield a knife and crossbow on top of her handy sling. The first game’s novel historical setting was gripping, and the sequel’s significant gameplay improvements should only make for an all-around tighter experience.
Tactics Ogre Reborn
Platforms: PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, PC Release date: November 11th, 2022
Although Yasumi Matsuno is best known for his “Ivalice” games (Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII), his original work on the Ogre Battle strategy series remains a cult favourite. Therefore, it’s exciting to now be getting a modern remaster of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, the PSP remake of Matsuno’s SNES classic of the same name. In particular, Reborn features enhancements like HD characters and backgrounds, an updated UI, improved sound, a new unit-by-unit levelling system and other quality-of-life tweaks. Not to mention the well-regarded politically-charged civil war story — branching paths and all — remains intact. Fans of Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem or, most recently, Triangle Strategyshould pay attention to this one.
Scorn
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC (also day one on Xbox Game Pass) Release date: October 21st, 2022
Ebb Software looks to be cooking up something delightfully twisted in Scorn. This first-person game has you controlling a skinless humanoid who must explore a nightmarish alien planet. Areas are interconnected but can be explored in a non-linear fashion, and you’ll need to use various biomechanical weapons in order to survive. However, Scorn isn’t a traditional shooter, so each and every encounter, even with a single enemy, is intended to be tense and challenging. The world itself is also quite mysterious with little context directly given to the player, so you’ll need to parse things together through environmental storytelling instead.
Session: Skate Sim
Platforms: PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC Release date: September 22nd, 2022 (full release — has been in early access)
The next (Canadian-made) Skate game is still far out, so Montreal-based Crea-ture Studios has its own spiritual successor to the EA skateboarding series. Made by a team of self-described skaters, Session: Skate Sim features a dual-stick control scheme and real-life iconic skate spots to create an authentic experience. Customize your skater with gear from the top brands, rack up high scores and use a robust video editor to capture your best moments.
Somerville
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC (also on Xbox Game Pass on day one) Release date: TBA 2022
If you liked indie darling Playdead’s Limbo and Inside, this one’s definitely for you. Dino Patti, the co-founder of Playdead, has a new studio called Jumpship, and its debut work is an adventure game called Somerville. Like Playdead’s games, Somerville uses the world to tell its story — about a father, mother, son and their dog surviving the post-apocalypse — in place of dialogue. However, Playdead says the game isn’t strictly a 2D puzzle-platformer like those other games as some have believed and is instead focused more on exploration in a 3D space.
Which of these games are you looking forward to? Are there others you’re excited for? Let us know in the comments!
Finally, Google is also expanding ‘Household Routines’ to support more smart home devices and has plans to launch a detailed Home app script editor in 2023. It’s also worth mentioning that overall, Google’s new Home app looks cleaner and easier to navigate.
