Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup – 9/19 – 9/25

Microsoft introduces new Surface Laptop Studio

LG newest television is a 325-inch LED TV 

Tesla axes referral programs for cars, solar panels 

IKEA and ASUS ROG gaming furniture collab will be released globally on Oct. 1 

Valve's weeklong Steam Next Fest to kick off on Oct. 1 

Apple AirPods 3 still expected to launch this 2021 

Apple to delay Find My Network support for AirPods to later this fall 

This IKEA wireless charging pad is mounted underneath your desk 

HP launches new Spectre x360 2-in-1 with 16-inch OLED 

Apple now sells refurbished iPhones in Canada 

'Pokémon Unite' launches on Android, iOS 

'Shang-Chi' will be available to all Disney+ subscribers on Nov. 12 

Microsoft updates its 2-in-1 series with Surface Pro 8, Surface Go 3, Surface Pro X 

Microsoft launches Surface Duo 2 with more flagship-ready specs 

Twitter now lets you send Tips in Bitcoin, plus other new features 

Amazon adds bigger screen, longer battery life to Kindle Paperwhite 

Microsoft commits to three years of updates for the Surface Duo 2 

Google Photos will bring Locked Folders feature to all Android phones 

Google Photos will bring Locked Folders feature to all Android phones

Google Photos brings its private photo-friendly feature to all Android phones, at least those running on Android 6 and above. The company announced that the Locked Folder feature would be coming to users beyond Pixel owners soon. It was initially launched for newer Pixels back in June.The feature lets you lock photos behind a password-protected space in Google Photos.

You set up a Locked Folder by going to Library > Utilities > Locked Folder in the app. You can then move your photos manually to the folder. It isn't clear if Google will let you save new shots directly into the said folder like you can with the Pixel camera app. Google has plans to bring many new features to Android this fall. Perhaps Locked Folders will roll out then, too.

Source: The Verge

Microsoft commits to three years of updates for the Surface Duo 2

If you wondered how long Microsoft plans to support the just-launched Surface Duo 2, the company told Android Authority that it would offer three years of software and security updates for the dual-screened device. We also recently learned the original Surface Duo would finally get the Android 11 update before the end of the year. Now, let's hope Microsoft maintains a consistent updating schedule for the devices and perhaps delivers Android 12 sooner than later to one or both devices. 

Microsoft Surface Duo to get last year's Android OS before 2021 ends

While Microsoft just launched Surface Duo 2, it doesn't completely forget about the original device. According to the company, the Surface Duo will receive an Android update soon. But it will be Android 11, and it'll be "before the end of this year." That means that even if Android 12 is about to come out soon, the Surface Duo will be around a year behind in software updates. It isn't surprising given the challenges of supporting a dual-screen device.

But as Engadget pointed out, we might see improvements that the Surface Duo 2 is getting with Android 11 on this older device. For one, Android 11 refines the multitasking experience on the Surface Duo 2. Perhaps we can finally see Microsoft iron out the buggy software on the original Duo. At least, that's the hope for that device.