Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 2/05-2/11

First impressions on Google Home

Google Assistant might be making its way to Nexus devices

The Upside Down is back in ‘Stranger Things 2’ trailer

Review: Samsung Gear S3 Frontier

Moto Mods hackathon in San Francisco produces more practical Mods

Toronto-based Bunz barter startup now has major update on iOS app

AccuWeather and Spotify launch "Climatune" playlists for any weather

YouTube introduces mobile live streaming

‘Marvel’s Iron Fist’ gets first trailer

Fire happens at one of the factories responsible for making the Samsung Galaxy Note7’s battery

Here's all the new content coming to Netflix in 2017

Kobo's top Valentine's Day sneaky read list

Google announces Android Wear 2.0 coming soon to Canada

Apple offers Pro Apps Bundle for Education in Canada

Sony is rolling out Android Nougat to select Xperia devices

Nintendo’s ‘Fire Emblem Heroes’ has already earned US$5 million

First impressions on Google Home

Prince’s music set to hit streaming service like Spotify starting Sunday

Marvel teases Avengers: Infinity War as the culmination of the MCU

Square makes payment transaction easier with new tools

New handy Instant Tethering feature for Android comes to Pixel and Nexus devices

New handy Instant Tethering feature for Android comes to Pixel and Nexus devices

One of the things we expect from our gadgets is that they just work. No need to toggle anything, they just have to work. Google is turning that into a reality with its own devices. Called Instant Tethering, the feature will let a select number of devices instantly use the same cellular data connection of a smartphone when it sees that there is a connection and sufficient battery life. At the moment the feature is available to any Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, or Nexus 6P running Android 7.1.1. All the aforementioned smartphones can serve as the host for another support device as long as it’s signed into the same Google account. You don’t even need to turn on the hotspot anymore or input any passwords, it’ll just work.

And you don’t even have to shut it off, too. When 10 minutes have passed when you last used a device that tethered to your smartphone, it’ll cut off the connection itself. Saving battery is something Google is paying attention, too. While this isn’t the first time tech manufacturers have done this. It’s good we have one more option. And hopefully more tech companies follow suit.

Source: The Verge

Square makes payment transaction easier with new tools

Late last month, financial services and mobile payment company Square has added two new features to make storing customer information easier and safer. One of the new features is called Customer Directory. What it does is it centralizes customer information into one service. It’ll help sellers keep track of important customer information and even learn more about their spending habits. And when you do need to keep track of their preferences, the information is easily within your reach.

Aside from that, Square is making the payment process more seamless with its new Card on File feature. Business owners who get the permission of their customers can store payment information to be included in the Customer Directory. So every time the stored payment information is charged, the process will be done much faster. Of course, customers will be notified when a seller has stored their card information. They will also receive an email when an item has been charged on their card. And it’s also the customer’s prerogative to unlink their cards through receipts at any time. 

Marvel teases Avengers: Infinity War as the culmination of the MCU

The MCU, or Marvel Cinematic Universe, kicked off when the first Iron Man hit screens in 2008 and is going to hit its peak during Avengers: Infinity War. Coming in 2018, the film will not only team-up various heroes, it will team-up The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy plus other characters like Dr. Strange and Spide-Man. The Russo Brothers helmed epic is expected to be a blockbuster but some are worried that having over a dozen heroes and scores of villains might be too much to handle. Captain America: Civil War was a thrill ride but it already felt busy, this is an Avengers movie, and one that's going to be on an even larger scale (hopefully better than the mediocre Age of Ultron).