Stories by Austin Blake

Meta's Instagram now has more than 3 billion monthly active users, head Adam Mosseri announced on Wednesday. The app’s recent growth, he said, has come from three areas: direct messages, Reels, and recommendations of posts from accounts users don’t already follow. Because of that, Instagram plans to “reorient the app more around DMs, reels, and...

The CRTC is asking Canadians—and service providers themselves—to take part in a new survey on how to make internet and cellphone networks more reliable. The consultation runs until December 3, 2025. The public is being asked to share their experiences with outages, including what could have prevented them and how providers responded. Service providers are...

Romance was the vibe on Netflix this week, with two rom-coms stealing the top spots. On the English films list, The Wrong Paris — starring Miranda Cosgrove and Pierson Fodé — hit No. 1 with 21.8 million views. Over on the non-English side, Germany’s She Said Maybe debuted at No. 1 with 7.2 million views,...

Sony will host its next State of Play showcase on Wednesday, September 24, with more than 35 minutes of game updates and announcements. The event starts at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. CEST, and September 25 at 6 a.m. JST, streaming live on YouTube and Twitch, according to Brett Elston,...

Apple’s new iPhone Air, the thinnest iPhone yet, held up against bending pressure but cracked during drop tests, according to Allstate Protection Plans’ latest breakability tests. In back-down drops from six feet, the iPhone 17 Pro survived with minor scuffs, while the iPhone Air’s rear panel cracked but the phone stayed usable. In face-down drops,...

Meta’s WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature that lets you translate messages right inside the app. If someone texts you in a language you don’t understand, just long-press the message and tap “Translate.” You can pick the languages you want, and once downloaded, they’ll stay saved for future use. It works in one-on-one chats,...

Rogers says its Citytv+ streaming service is now available directly to Canadians across all major platforms, including Apple and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TV, and online at citytvplus.ca. The service includes live channels and on-demand programming from networks such as Citytv, Bravo, Discovery, Food Network, FX, FXX, and HGTV. Shows range from Law...

Nintendo has added Zelda II: The Adventure of Link to its Nintendo Music app library, including both the NES and Famicom Disk System versions of the soundtrack. Fans highlighted the iconic Palace theme, with one Reddit user calling it “so damn good.” The Famicom Disk System release features a slightly different encounter theme compared to...

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....