Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 01/31-02/06

Captain Phasma will be in ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’

Apple launches new World Gallery of Shot on iPhone 6S images from 41 photographers across the globe

IDC: iPad Pro outsells entire Microsoft Surface line over the holidays

New leak shows off the curved glass back of the Samsung Galaxy S7

Turnstyle's Wi-Fi loyalty program coming to 600 Subway restaurants in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Northern Ontario

Dyson's Small Ball vacuum has the most powerful suction of any lightweight vacuum

BlackBerry looks to focus on Android handsets for 2016

Nikon contest wants you to highlight winter wonders of Toronto

Toyota to discontinue the Scion youth-oriented brand

Fitbit introduces new stylish fitness tracker

Maserati to debut bespoke sports sedans with Zegna interiors at the CIAS

KOBO opens submissions for second annual Emerging Writer Prize

Apple adds 20 new Maps Flyover locations on iOS 9

LG G4 getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS update in Canada

Telus and Koodo rolling out Marshmallow update to HTC One M8 and M9 smartphones

VW's new ad campaign sets out to rebuild trust by featuring its greatest hits

A ‘MacGyver’ movie and TV show are coming

Instagram might soon let you manage multiple accounts

Audi and VW recall Q5 and Tiguan crossovers to replace Takata inflators

Apple could bring more apps and services to Google Android

BlackBerry to let go of 200 jobs in Ontario and Florida

In an effort to trim costs, BlackBerry is letting go of 200 jobs in its hometown headquarters in Ontario and Florida. This new round of layoffs with affect 75 manufacturing jobs in Sunrise, Florida, according to a state government site. Meanwhile, it’s rumoured that a lot of the job cuts in Canada involve people who are working on the BB10 device software. Gary Klassen, one of the company’s longest-tenured employees and the inventor of the BBM messaging service, is also leaving the company with this latest rounded of cuts.

BlackBerry won’t divulge the percentage of its workforce that has been affected by this latest round of layoffs. The Canadian company is trying to turn its fortunes around by putting its focus in its enterprise software business. BlackBerry let go of around 200 staff members back in September. The employees who were laid off then worked on the design and hardware of BB10 devices. But a spokeswoman for BlackBerry assures its users that they will still release updates for its BB10 software.

Source: Reuters

Pebble Time gets update to let Android users initiate text conversations

Using your Pebble Time before you’re allowed to reply to messages sent to you first. Now, Android users can start text conversations through the Pebble Time watch without pulling out your smartphone. The latest update introduces this new Send Text app, which Android users can access if they have the latest Pebble Time app on the phone and the latest software for the watch. If you have both, you can then just dictate the text to the watch or select one of the pre-written messages to send. It’ll show your contacts alphabetically by default or you can pick your favorite users to send messages to.

Source: SlashGear

Apple could bring more apps and services to Google Android

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

We're at a completely different place in mobile ecosystems than we were years ago. The era of closed systems and software exclusive to specific hardware is  quickly comng to an end.

Google has always had its software and services available on iOS (not so much on Windows Phone or BlackBerry). Under Satya Nadella, Microsoft has been relentless in making its services and apps available to Android and iOS and now it seems Apple is thinking of putting some of their apps and services on Android.

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