Stories by Austin Blake

Google has rolled out a new feature that turns photos into eight-second videos using AI, now available to Gemini Advanced users in select countries. The tool is part of Google’s Gemini AI platform and lets users upload a photo, describe what they want to see and hear, and watch the image transform into a short...

Videotron’s Freedom Mobile has launched a new travel eSIM that offers Canadians affordable international data—without the need for a monthly plan, contract, or credit check. The new option, called Roam Beyond Travel Data eSIM, starts at $10 for 1GB (plus a one-time $10 activation fee) and works in over 120 countries, including 16 new destinations....

If you’ve been getting strange text messages from random numbers lately, you’re not the only one, according to the Competition Bureau. Canadians are seeing a spike in scam texts claiming things like unpaid tolls or suspicious activity on bank accounts. The messages may look real, but they’re part of a growing fraud trend called “smishing”...

Google has a flurry of announcements today and that includes updates to its Circle to Search tool, now available on over 300 million Android devices. The feature lets users tap, highlight, or circle anything on their screen to instantly search for more information—without needing to switch apps. It’s just too easy when using this feature....

Disney+ Canada has dropped a preview of what’s coming to the platform through the rest of 2025, including new seasons of returning series and a few high-profile debuts. A new teaser gives a glimpse of what subscribers can expect, including more episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the long-awaited King of the Hill revival,...

Telus-owned Public Mobile has revamped its plans list today, and they are worse than before. Last week, Public Mobile started to tighten its plan lineup, while also announcing Canada-US Mexico promo plans would end on July 7. Today, we now see the full extent of new changes, where only five total 4G and 5G plans...

Apple’s artificial intelligence efforts just took another hit. According to a report from Bloomberg, Ruoming Pang—the executive leading Apple’s foundation models team—is leaving the company to join Meta. He’s the latest in a string of high-profile hires by Mark Zuckerberg’s new AI “superintelligence” group, which is poaching the best people through large compensation offers. Sources...

TikTok is ending its sponsorship of several major Canadian arts organizations, including the Juno Awards and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as it prepares to shut down its Canadian operations under a federal directive. The company said it is complying with an order issued by Ottawa last November, which requires TikTok to wind down...

A woman from Squamish, B.C. says she lost more than $534,000 in Bitcoin—now worth over $1.8 million—after a hacker hijacked her phone through a SIM swap scam. The case is now heading to private arbitration after a recent B.C. Supreme Court decision. Raelene Vandenbosch, a pharmacy manager from B.C., is suing Rogers and Match Transact....

Montreal’s parking agency is phasing out its current mobile app and asking drivers to download a new one before the end of July. Update July 15: Agence de mobilité durable de Montréal has confirmed with us July 28 as the final end date. The P$ Mobile Service app will stop working on July 31, and...

Apple may finally have its first blockbuster at the box office. The racing film F1, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, has earned over $200 million US globally and is expected to top $300 million US (about $408 million CAD) by the 4th of July weekend. “This is a movie that will run and run...

Freedom Mobile is joining the Calgary Stampede this year as the new presenting sponsor of the event’s Grandstand Show—and bringing along a virtual reality attraction to go with it. From July 4 to 13, Stampede visitors can try the Freedom Mobile Worry-Free Escape, a VR experience set up on the Midway. The installation offers 360-degree...