Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 08/06-08/12

LG V30 will come with an f/1.6 lens, a first for smartphones

Bose might have accidentally leaked upcoming/unreleased headphones via email newsletter

Apple might get rid of Touch ID for ‘iPhone 8’

Google Play Store wants to bring to your attention apps that don’t crash

Car2go adding Mercedes-Benz CLA and GLA models to Calgary fleet

Coach unveils stylish new Apple Watch bands

CBS All Access is coming to Canada next year

Tile Pro and Style Series trackers bring new features and expanded range

Disney set to leave Netflix, plans to launch own streaming service in 2019

Microsoft's Outlook.com in now in public beta

HBO hackers demand ransom after leaking some internal data online, including personal numbers & addresses of ‘Game of Thrones’ stars

Google engineer who penned ‘anti-diversity memo’ gets fired, files labor complaint

Coldplay will livestream its August 17th concert in virtual reality

OneDrive for iOS gets major update with improved scanning and sharing

Consumer Reports: Microsoft Surface has worst failure rate in the industry

Google CEO cancels diversity all-hands meeting, cites employees concerns about safety and online privacy

Uber starts rolling out in-app chat for drivers and riders

Popular distraction-free writing app Ulysses to follow subscription model

Android O will be the last OS update for OnePlus 3/3T

Sony Xperia XZ Premium reportedly coming to Canada on August 15th or in September

‘The Walking Dead’ creator Robert Kirkman leaves AMC for Amazon

‘The Walking Dead’ creator Robert Kirkman leaves AMC for Amazon

Amazon has scored a big win this week as it signed a first-look agreement with The Walking Dead’s creator Robert Kirkman and his production company Skybound Entertainment. This means, Amazon gets first dibs on upcoming Skybound productions. Fans of shows like The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and Outcast will be enticed sign up for Amazon Prime Video to get access to whatever new projects Kirkman and his team produce in the future.

AMC has been a longtime partner of Skybound and The Walking Dead has been one of the most profitable shows for the network. But it makes sense for Kirkman and Skybound to turn their focus on building digital strategies with as big a company as Amazon as it’ll help expand its capabilities and ambitions of the studio. Skybound Entertainment will be extremely busy moving forward. They’re currently working on different film projects with properties for their two-year first look deal with Universal. They also just opened Skybound North, a Vancouver-based production division led by former LucasFilm Animation’s Catherine Winder. The news also shows the continuous shift in the streaming service space. Recently, we’ve heard about Netflix buying Mark Millar’s company and Disney’s plan to launch its own streaming service.

Source: Variety

Google brings selfie flash to Camera app

Google updates its native camera app to bring a new feature selfie lovers will like. The Google Camera now has a selfie flash. This feature (and the others that’ll be mentioned below) are designed to work for recent Nexus and Pixel devices that run Android 7.1.1 and above. What the app does is it adds a beige color light right after you take the photo to bring a bit more light into the shot. Google opted to use a warmer color instead of a flash of bright white to make it look a bit more natural. However, as The Verge points out, this feature doesn’t seem to have automatic white balance like that on the iPhone’s camera.

It’s easy to enable the feature, you just need to tap on the Flash icon when you’re in front-facing mode and toggle between automatic or on. You know the feature is enabled if a beige block is covering the menu bar at the bottom. Aside from this, version 4.4 of Google Camera introduces shortcut gestures like swipe to toggle between shooting stills and videos and double tap to zoom.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium reportedly coming to Canada on August 15th or in September

If there's one thing we're sure about, the current Sony flagship, the Xperia XZ Premium, will be making its way here. As for the specific date, GSMArena points out two conflicting reports about when the device is coming. One claims August 15th, while the other says it's coming next month. What we know is it'll be available through Amazon and as an unlocked device. Pricing isn't confirmed either as the Xperia XZ Premium got a price cut recently so it could either go for US$699.99 (around CA$900) or US$799 (around CA$1,000). Reports have it that the Xperia XZ Premium sold in the country will also have its fingerprint sensor disabled, which is plausible if the units are coming from the US. Sony phones have had their fingerprint scanners disabled possibly due to weird contractual obligations. We don't definitively know yet. But we're sure we'll hear more in the coming weeks or even the coming days (if the August 15th release holds up).