Stories by Austin Blake

What has Apple been smoking? According to Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman, the company is developing a new tabletop device that combines an iPad-like display with a robotic arm, in what appears to be a push into groundbreaking home tech. According to sources familiar with the project, Gurman reports a team of several hundred employees is...

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, has released Grok-2 in Beta, the company's AI chatbot. This release includes new models: Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini, both of which are now available for testing on X (and working in Canada). These models have significant advancements over the previous Grok-1.5, with notable improvements in areas like chat interaction,...

Virgin Plus is offering a special migration plan to select customers for switching to parent company Bell. The offer is a $45 per month plan with 100GB of data, available for bring your own device and SmartPay, which is financing of a new phone. Virgin Plus will also waive the $60 activation fee ($10/month credits...

Telus has announced the return of its Esports Series this fall, inviting gamers from Canada and the US to compete in one of the largest esports events featuring Apex Legends, Rocket League, and Valorant. The competition, now in partnership with Android, is open to players aged 15 and older, who can register by September 22...

Google has unveiled its new Pixel 9 series, featuring the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. All models are powered by the new Google Tensor G4 chip, enhancing AI capabilities, camera performance, and overall efficiency. These new phones actually look pretty decent, even with the wide camera...

The Made by Google 2024 event is happening right now, but Google has already taken the wraps off of its new products, including its latest Pixel smartphones, smartwatches and earbuds. Canadian pricing for the latest Pixel 9 series smartphones, including the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold are now available. Check out the pricing below and...

Back in November 2023, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) sought to increase internet competition by mandating Telus and Bell to open up their wholesale fibre networks in Ontario and Quebec to smaller competitors. Today, the CRTC has announced it has extended this decision to now force Telus, Bell and SaskTel to bring nationwide wholesale...

Rogers recently released a (cringey) ad featuring U.S. actor John Krasinski (from the hit TV comedy The Office) dancing to Taylor Swift on a boat, and now Canadian actors part of union dispute have expressed outrage whenever they see it. That’s according to a story from CBC News, citing details from the vice-president of Canada’s...

The entry Apple Watch SE is set to undergo a major change, switching from its traditional aluminum casing to plastic, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his weekly PowerOn newsletter. Since the Apple Watch’s first debut in 2014, this will be the first time a plastic case is going to be used. Sources tell Gurman...

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has once again spilled the beans on Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup and more, as detailed in his weekly PowerOn newsletter. For starters, don't expect any big changes this year for the iPhone 16 lineup. Apple again is milking the upgrade cycle with minimal upgrades. Gurman says 2025 will be a bigger...

Telus-owned Public Mobile has tweaked its plans yet again, this time debuting a new international calling plan on Friday. A new $45/65GB 5G plan includes 1,000 monthly long distance minutes, to go with Canada-US talk, text and data. The long distance minutes include calls from Canada to China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, and...

Tesla on Thursday evening started emailing out Cybertruck reservation holders in Canada, officially kickstarting the launch of the futuristic truck in the Great White North, expanding outside the US for the first time. Now, Tesla Cybertruck pricing in Canada is not cheap, as there’s luxury tax, plus PST and GST on the latter as well...