Apple Pay expands to Canada with support from major banks this June

Apple's SVP for Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey demos the features of Apple Pay which is coming to Canada this JuneBy Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple Pay is available to all active Interac debit cards issued by CIBC and RBC. Your debit card does not have to be an Interac Flash enabled card. In stores, Apple Pay works with iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch. You will first need to add your debit card to the Apple Wallet to make mobile transactions.

Interac can be used with Apple Pay to buy goods and services across Canada in the hundreds of thousands of Canadian stores wherever contactless payments 

Apple Pay, which securely uses iPhone and Apple Watch to enable contact less payments, has been in Canada for some time now but limited to customers of American Express credit cards. That is all changing shortly as major banks and other credit card companies have been announced as partners and are looking to offer the functionality to their iPhone and Apple Watch-toting users. 

Apple has confirmed that Apple Pay will be coming to CIBC (credit and debit), ATB (credit, debit coming later), Canadian Tire Financial Services (credit), RBC (credit and debit) and of course American Express has enjoyed the first-mover advantage since late last year. 

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‘Minecraft’ gives away its four Birthday Skin Packs for fourth anniversary

It’s Minecraft’s fourth birthday and what better way to celebrate for fans than to be getting the Birthday Skin Pack? What’s extra special this year is not only will Xbox One and Xbox 360 users be getting the 4^th Birthday Skin Pack but also the other three previous skin packs all for free. The giveaway is happening from today until May 16^th.

Source: Mojang

Microsoft waives July deadline of Windows 10 upgrade for assistive-tech users

Microsoft recently announced that they’re ending the free upgrade program to Windows 10 by July 29^th. Past that deadline Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users will need to pay for their copy of Windows 10. However, there’s now an exception to that rule: those who use technologies designed for disabilities or those who make use of assistive technologies. Some of the assistive technologies in Windows 10 include a screen-reader app, Narrator; digital magnifying glass, Magnifier; and using your PC with just your voice alone with Speech Recognition. Microsoft hasn’t stated though until when this deadline will be and how they will determine if a computer user is said to be an assistive technology user. We will let you know when Microsoft gives out more details.

Source: PCWorld

Spotify to venture into videos

Not wanting Apple Music to creep up on them, Spotify announced they’ll be debuting original video series on its platform. There will be 12 new shows with actors like Tim Robbins and Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons. These music-related series can range from a few minutes long to 15 minutes and won’t be kept behind a paywall, meaning free and paying users will have access to them. One of the new shows is called Landmark and will be focusing on a “significant moment in music history.” Spotify has already shot two episodes for this show, one focuses on the Beach Boys album Pet Sounds and the other is on Metallica.

While they are releasing music-related video content now, the streaming service plans a “phase two” where they’ll focus on comedy and animation series that will be geared towards the young audience of Spotify. According to Spotify’s Content Partnerships Head Tom Calderone, music will always be a priority for them but they know their users want more from them. “We have to figure out a second act, and I think it will come out of video,” Calderone said. “The idea is to make sure users know they can come here for something other than playlists.”

Source: 9to5Mac