Google Maps adds COVID-19 info layer on mobile

Google Maps has started rolling out a new COVID-19 data overlay for Android and iOS. The new layer shows "critical information about COVID-19 cases in an area" so that you can make "more informed decisions about where to go and what to do."

To access the feature, tap on the layers button on the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "COVID-19 info." The app will then show a seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people for the part of the map you're looking at. A label will show if cases are trending up or down, with colour coding to help you distinguish between the density of new cases in an area.

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New Pixel 4a 5G images leak

New images of the Pixel 4a 5G surface right after its specs got released. UK retailer John Lewis accidentally posted photos of the phone a little early. It was accidentally shown (and at the time of this writing still visible) on the retailer's 4G LTE variant listing. You can see in the phone's status bar the 5G logo, which shouldn't work on the Pixel 4a 4G LTE model. Its rear camera layout also doesn't match the Pixel 4as. 

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Instagram's Reels doubles video recording time to 30 seconds

Source: Instagram

Instagram's answer to TikTok is now offering a longer recording time, allowing users to record 30-second clips instead of 15-second ones. Reels is still 30 seconds off of TikTok's offerings, but this update shows that Instagram is still serious about going "big with entertainment." And that this feature will be its "new chapter of entertainment." 

Instagram Reels also extends its timer from three to 10 seconds. It will also let you trim and delete any clip to help make it easier to edit. "We continue to improve Reels based on people's feedback, and these updates make it easier to create and edit," Tessa Lyons-Laing, product director on Reels, said to The Verge. "While it's still early, we're seeing a lot of entertaining, creative content."  

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Canadian pre-orders begin Oct. 1, starting price at $950

Samsung is bringing some of the high-end specs we've seen in its S20 series into a slightly more affordable package, which the company is quick to acknowledge is its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The new Galaxy S20 FE 5G (FE standing for Fan Edition) gets features like low-band 5G connectivity, the same Qualcomm/Exynos chipset as the premium S20s, IP68 water resistance, and even some of the same camera tech available on the S20 and S20 Plus. One of the compromises is that its back is made of plastic instead of glass.

All of these will come at a starting price of $949.99 in Canada, with pre-orders starting on October 1 at Samsung Experience Stores, through Samsung.com/ca, major Canadian retailers and carriers. The phones will come in the six new colours (Cloud Red, Cloud Orange, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, and Cloud White), and it'll be available for purchase starting October 16.

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