Stories by Austin Blake

Walt Disney Studios today has announced the first trailer for the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, is finally here. Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is an all-new Star Wars adventure opening exclusively in theatres on May 22, 2026. The synopsis of the movie is as follows: the Empire has collapsed,...

This year’s iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air only have an eSIM this time around in Canada, finally killing off the physical SIM card. If you’re a Telus-owned Public Mobile customer with a physical SIM card, here’s a quick guide on how to switch over to an eSIM on...

Garmin has launched the Bounce 2, its latest kids’ smartwatch with built-in LTE. The new model lets parents call, text, and track their child’s location directly from the watch, without needing a phone. In Canada, the Bounce 2 costs $399.99 CAD—nearly double the original Bounce, which launched at $219.99. The data plans run $14.99 per...

Elon Musk’s xAI has released Grok 4 Fast (on Friday night), a new version of its AI system that focuses on doing more with less. The model is basically designed to think faster, cost less to run, and still score high on the kinds of tests researchers use to measure how “smart” these systems are....

The CRTC has ruled that smaller cellphone providers must get access to the entire network that Bell and Telus share, instead of being stuck with only half of it. Until now, when regional carriers like Freedom Mobile, Videotron, or Eastlink signed roaming agreements with either Bell or Telus, they were limited to that company’s portion...

After Bell expanded its 250GB global roaming plan to all Canadians (instead of being just for Quebec) to essentially copying Telus, Rogers has now followed suit, making its own global roaming plan available to everyone. While Rogers was the first to launch a global roaming plan, it was the last to make it available nationwide....

Telus is teaming up with Samsung to roll out Canada’s first commercial Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (RIC). Simply put, this means Telus will start using AI-powered software to manage and improve its wireless network. Instead of relying only on physical hardware, the RIC is a software system that uses artificial intelligence to spot problems,...

Image: Austin Mann Travel photographer Austin Mann has taken his annual iPhone camera review to the Dolomites in northern Italy, cycling more than 150 miles (241 km) and climbing nearly 20,000 feet to test Apple’s latest iPhone 17 Pro. His verdict: the new 48-megapixel 4x telephoto lens is the biggest leap forward for photographers this...

Most homes and businesses in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, will soon have access to Telus PureFibre internet, following a $40 million investment by F3 Networks. The project, expected to take two years, will connect about 95% of the community with fibre-to-the-premise service. Construction is set to begin in the coming weeks, with over 150,000 metres of...

At Meta’s Connect 2025 event tonight, Mark Zuckerberg introduced the Oakley Meta Vanguard, a new line of performance AI glasses designed for high-intensity sports. The glasses include a centred 12-megapixel camera capable of up to 3K video with a 122-degree wide lens, plus new modes like slow motion, hyperlapse, and adjustable stabilization. They’re rated IP67...

Telus-owned Public Mobile has revamped its plans and also brought back its $10 referral bonus for a limited time. Starting today until September 30, Public Mobile says you and your friend can get a $10 bonus credit when you refer a friend that subscribes to a $35/month plan. You can only refer up to 5...

Calgary's Chris Niccolls is best known for his years of camera reviews (including those at The Camera Store TV) at the popular photography site DPReview. But after Amazon shut down the site in April 2023, Niccolls and his creative partner Jordan Drake announced their move to PetaPixel, where they began leading the site’s YouTube channel...